Back Fired
by SnowFall01
Summary: When Marinette takes a hit for Chat Noir her secret life is detrimentally affected.When Ladybug doesn't show up to defeat the akuma, Chat Noir begins to worry. As their relationship deepens, will Adrien/ChatNoir discover why?
1. Declaration

Chapter 1: Declaration

~LadyBug's P.O.V~

I was looking out into the distance in a carefree manner. It had been a pleasant Sunday, no angry citizens, no big disasters, and best of all, no akuma attacks.

I had spent my morning in the bakery with my parents, then talked about nothing in particular with Alya over the phone for a little while. When the afternoon came along, I slipped out quietly to meet up with Chat Noir. Together the two of us dashed from rooftop to rooftop keeping a lookout, and doing small various tasks around the big city. The most recurring job-, much to Chat's annoyance and my own amusement-, had been saving defenseless cats from branches that were too high to climb down from.

After all our running around, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower, nimbly leaping to the top taking the best seats in the city to watch the sunset over the horizon.

We talked about various things, but all chatter quieted down as the sun lowered in the sky. My inner designer couldn't help but be inspired by the spectacular display of color that blended across the sky. Brilliant oranges, pinks, and purples tinged the clouds as they faded into a dark blue where the light was fading. In areas where the sky had already darkened, city lights flickered on here and there, until the city became an ocean of tiny stars.

 _I wished I had my sketch pad_ , I sighed to myself.

"What are you thinking about?" Chat asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I glanced away from the gorgeous view to find his head cocked to the side, like he'd been observing me as intently as I had been the sky.

"Just that the city looks especially nice like this," I shrugged, leaning back into a more comfortable position.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I wish everyday could be like this."

"Me too," I nodded.

We sat a few moments longer and as the last bit of sun disappeared from immediate view, I stretched my arms and steadily got to my feet.

"Thanks for sitting with me," I yawned.

Getting swiftly to his feet as well, he made a point of giving me a playful bow. "Anything for m'lady," he winked.

"Yeah- yeah," I rolled my eyes. "Just watch out for trees on your way home. I won't be there to save you when you can't get down little Kitty."

"Still not funny," he crossed his arms in a slight pout.

"Whatever you say," I chuckled, turing my back on him. "See you tomorrow," I waved.

"Ladybug, wait," he called.

Before I could get very far, he grabbed a hold of my arm stopping me from throwing my yo-yo.

I looked at where his hand had grabbed onto me, and met his gaze with a puzzled expression. "What is it?" I asked.

"Well I...I- just, I wanted to tell you something before you left." He stroked the back of his neck bashfully. One look at his face was all I needed to know something was up.

"O-kay," I raised my eyebrow unsure of what I should expect. "I'm all ears," I said, I leaning back onto a metal beam behind to make a point that I was listening.

Chat hesitated, glancing at me like he was torn about whether or not he was going to tell me why he bothered to stop me. For a moment I didn't think he was going to say anything, (which was strange indeed for Chat Noir) but that all changed in a blink of an eye. Straightened his chest, and looked me dead in the eye with a sudden wave of confidence, gliding over until he was directly in front of me. He shifted the hand that was holding my arm down, so we were clasping hands in a very intimate way.

I probably would have stumbled backwards from surprise, but the beam I rested on held me in place leaving me staring at him like a gaping idiot."I-isn't it a little late to be joking around Chat Noir?"

"I'm not joking," he shook his head without any sign of falter. "Ladybug," he said, gazing at me intently. "I love you."

I nearly choked, but Chat didn't seem to notice as he continued his declaration of love.

"Since we first met, I've been in love with you. I've wanted you to know how I felt but the moment never seemed right. After spending all this time with you, all I can think about is how I'd like for the two of us to get to know each other better. I'd very much like for us to do this again, but next time, I want you to go with me as a date."

I continued staring at him like an idiot. "You're serious."

He nodded. "Of course."

"So when you… b-but we… "I stuttered in incomplete sentences. "You weren't just teasing me this whole time!?"

"What? No," his face finally faltered. "What made you think I was joking?"

"I-I don't know," I stammered. "I figured you flirted with all the girls."

"No," he shook his head. "Only you."

"...Ah," I said, wishing I had leapt off the tower when I'd had the chance. "Chat.. that's so sweet of you and I'm flattered. Really I am but… there's someone else who I-.. I really like."

He lowered his gaze letting go of his grip on my hand and taking a step back. "I see," he whispered.

I was afraid he might fall to pieces before me so I wracked my mind for something else to say.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize you felt this way sooner... I hope you don't feel like I was leading you on because I promise that's not-"

He held up a hand silencing my mindless ranting. "Say no more," he flashed a cheery smile. "I understand."

My heart broke for him.

Reaching out, my hand slowly rested on his shoulder in what I hoped was a comforting gesture. "Don't let this get you down Chat. You'll find someone else soon, I'm sure of it."

He nodded his head in agreement, I could tell he meant to keep our conversation good-natured. "You sure know how to let 'em down gently m'lady, you must get asked out all the time." He joked, giving me absolutely no indication of how hurt he might be. It only made me worry more.

"I'll probably see you tomorrow then." He concluded, grabbing my hand from where it rested on his shoulder. He held it longer than necessary before setting it down and turning to the edge of the tower. "Goodnight," he called over his shoulder.

"G-goodnight," I replied, but he had already leapt out of earshot leaving me rooted to the spot all by myself.

"Ughh," I groaned sinking my face into my hands shaking my head back and forth as if I could make the rotten feeling go away. I spun from the direction Chat had gone and swiftly flipped off the side of the tower.

We'd get past this, I would make it up to him tomorrow.

I was sure of it…


	2. Rough Start

Chapter 2: Rough Start

~Marinette's P.O.V~

Sunlight shined into my eyes, causing me to squint and roll away from the disturbance. Had there not been a wooden barrier along my bedside balcony, I probably would have fallen on my face.

"You left the balcony door open," Tikki yawned, from beside my head.

"I noticed…" I mumbled back, wearily wiping the sleep from my eyes.

"I can't believe the sound of all that rain didn't wake you up," she mused.

I looked up to my ceiling, running my eyes slowly over my blank digital clock-, then I paused. Glancing back at the clock I squinted harder at the tiny grey box until my eyes cleared enough for me to see the numbers… and realized it was completely turned off.

The remaining sleepiness vanished, replaced with adrenaline as I ripped the sheets off my body and scrambled down the ladder, nearly falling off.

"What time is it?" I panicked.

"It's only 7:15, schools not for another hour," Tikki replied calmly, giving me a peculiar look.

"No, no, no!" I squealed. "I have to be there early today for the extra credit lecture!"

"What time does it start?"

"IN 15 MINUTES!" I yelled, finally losing my cool.

Tikki threw my jacket at my head from across the room. "Hurry, get dressed! I'll grab your bag."

I moved as fast as I could, throwing on my clothes, brushing my teeth and rushing down my staircase in a stunning record of 3 minutes.

"Gonna be late, I'm gonna be late!" I chanted, dashing through my living room when I spotted a plate of cookies by the door. I tried to stop, but I'd been moving so fast I skidded along the floor completely missing the food. I had to run back towards the cookie tray to grabbed a small handful, shoving the cookies inside my purse for Tikki.

"Love you- see-ya-later bye!" I blurted, dashing past my befuddled mother again and out the door.

My hurried trip to school was exactly as I should have expected for someone as clumsy as myself. I fumbled over thin air, dropped what little lunch money I had brought, then finally rammed myself into a pole before an entire square of gawking strangers, yet amazingly enough, I made it to the school with 5 minutes to spare. As I ran towards the building I glimpsed Alya climbing the stairs, just about to enter.

"Alya!" I called out, halting by the side of the road to catch my breath.

She whipped her head around, grinning when she spotted me, then her expression turned to alarm. "Marinette watch out!" She called out too late.

I was still registering her words when a cold wave of water splashed up from behind me, drenching the left half of my body. I sucked in a giant breath of air, jolting upright as the cold moisture flowed down my back. Alya ran over to me.

"Oh no, you're all wet." She reached out to lift my arms up, inspecting my clothing.

"…I noticed," I mumbled for the second time that day.

 _At least Tikki didn't get hit by any water. But who?_.. I began to ask myself slowly turning to catch a glimpse of the careless driver, when I spotted a familiar grey vehicle, and a blonde head popped out the passenger door.

Adrien emerged from his car and jumped over the curb hurrying to reach me while I lamely dripped water onto the concrete.

"Marinette! Are you okay?" His face was full of worry, his hands halfway outstretched, as if unsure if he should touch me or not.

"Huhnn…" I fumbled out like a moron.

I was too embarrassed to form a proper response but luckily he kept talking.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't tell the driver to stop in time and-, I didn't think to roll down the window until it was too late, but I swear I di-"

"Oh don't apologize Adri-kins,"Chloe's smug voice interrupted from behind. "This is comic gold," she giggled out.

I cranked my body around, praying that it would be some random stranger with an unfortunately similar voice, but sure enough, standing with an air of arrogance was the last person I wanted to see. Chloe Bourgeois.

 _I should have slept in, why couldn't today be the day I was late to school?_ I couldn't help but think to myself.

Before anyone could respond to her snide comment, she swung the cellphone already resting in her hands upward, quickly snapping a picture of my soaking clothes- and probably dumbfound expression to follow. Alya and Adrien acted in unison stepping in front of me to block the view of the camera but they were too late as she'd already taken the picture.

"Hey!" Alya yelled.

"Not cool, dude," Nino chipped in walking up beside Alya.

Chloe responded by turning her head away from us and putting her hands on her hips defensively. "It's not my fault you dorks don't recognize humor when you see it, but whatever, I'm sure the rest of the school will get a kick." She smiled gloatingly, focusing back on the device probably getting the photo ready to send to the whole school.

"Chloe!" I began.

Alya and I reached for her phone, but Adrien beat us to it. Stepping forward quickly, he set his hand on top of Chloe's, pushing the device down.

"Don't tell me you're with them." Chloe scoffed, throwing a mocking look in our direction.

"Chloe," Adrien spoke seriously. "Really, don't you think that's a bit much?"

"Of course not, what should we care if she's humiliated?" She scoffed, pulling her phone from his hand to hit the final button.

"Wait, Chloe!" He tried again. "Please, don't send that photo."

"And why not?" She raised her brow.

"Because…" Adrien took a moment as he grasped for the right thing to say. "I don't want you to send the photo because… because I'm afraid my hair looks bad."

There was sudden silence as everybody stopped to gawk at him in disbelief.

"See, uh- I wasn't ready when you took that picture so.. it would mean a lot to me and-my uh-, modeling career if you didn't send that to everyone." He continued explaining, ignored our stupefied expressions.

Alya was the first to recover enough to chip in. "Th-that's… completely right!" She exclaimed with false enthusiasm. "His hair isn't photo ready at all."

"A complete disaster," Nino threw in.

I saw him grab his mouth and duck his head as he tried to contain his laughter.

I covered my face in horror. _There's no way Chloe's that stu-._

My thought was interrupted as Chloe gasped loudly.

"Ohh Adrien! I was so distracted by how awful Marinette looked, I didn't even realize how unkempt your hair was today."

Adrien and I groaned in unison.

"Yeah," he stroked the back of his neck in embarrassment. "So could you uhh, please delete the photo?"

"Of course! I would never do anything to ruin your precious modeling career," Chloe complied, flipping her attention back to the phone, tapped the screen once then quickly threw her arms around Adrien. "Don't worry, Adri-kins no one will have to know about your unkempt mess, at least you don't look nearly as bad as her."

I scrunched my hands into fist trying to keep from lashing out at her. Her nasty comments were bad enough without her throwing herself onto Adrien.

Alya patted my back and threw me an understanding look. I thought I caught a glimpse of Adrien giving me what might have been an apologetic grimace.

"Now come with me, I might still have some time to make your hair as fabulous as mine," Chloe chimed, beginning to pull Adrien away.

"But the special visitor-,"

"No time! Hair always comes first my dear Adrien, if you'd known that earlier you wouldn't have come to school looking like you do now."

He had an exasperated look on his face as he silently let himself be drug into the school.

I could feel angry tears build up in my eyes. I blinked them back, turning away from the entryway. "I think I'm gonna head home you guys."

"What?" Alya asked, turning towards me. "Don't let Chloe get to you Mari. We all know she's full of-"

"-I'm dripping wet and I'm not drying off anytime soon," I cut her off as I flung my arms across the concrete, flinging dirty droplets as demonstration.

"As much as I hate to admit it Alya, Chloe's right. I look like a dripping pathetic mess. I'll come back after I get some new clothes," I sighed.

Alya grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at her. "Marinette, don't say that!"

"Yeah Mari it's really not that bad," Nino added. "If anything, it's the opposite of what Chloe says that's really true. I mean you don't look that pathet-"

"-Nino!" Alya glowered at him.

"What I was just sayin-"

"-We get it," She shook her head at him sternly but affectionately, then focused back on me. "Just wear your spare gym clothes for the morning. When lunch comes I'll walk with you home and we'll grab new clothes, Okay?"

My chest swelled as I gazed at my best friend affectionately. "Okay.." I replied.

She kept a reassuring hand on my shoulder as the three of us headed into the school together.


	3. Lecture

Chapter 3: Lecture

~Adrien's P.O.V~

I felt like I was going to die of guilt when Chloe drug me into the school before I'd gotten a chance to apologize to Marinette. If I hadn't been so distracted by.. by…

My chest tightened, and I forced myself away from thoughts of Ladybug. None of this morning's events would have happened if I stopped dwelling on what had happened yesterday. I'd have to find out a way to make it up to Marinette later.

Chloe chattered nonstop about ridiculous tricks I could use to keep any hairdo looking -'super fabulous'-. I was so focused on my own thoughts I almost didn't notice when she adamantly tried shoving me into the girl's bathroom. I politely, but firmly refused.

While we were standing in front of the bathrooms I asked to see her phone to use the camera to fix it myself. She handed it over without question and I pretended to style my hair, fiddling with random strands while I scrolled through her photos making sure the picture had actually been deleted. At least I could do that much for Marinette.

I handed her the phone back halfheartedly thanking her. Displeased with my hair's lack of transformation, she reached for my head to fiddle with it herself, but I ducked out of the way convincing her we needed to hurry to class.

When I reached the classroom I expected Nino, Marinette, and Alya to have beaten us to our seats, but they were empty making the corners of my mouth droop in disappointment. Just as I sat in my chair the doors opened again revealing -much to my relief-, my best friend Nino. As soon as he entered a man who I'd never seen before followed behind, strolling to the head of the classroom.

He was tall and held himself with confidence. His hair was as blond as mine or Chloe's, while his eyes were light brown. He wore a white lab coat which gave him the appearance of a medical doctor with experience while his clean-shaven face gave him a youthful demeanor. Only the smile lines along his mouth and crinkles around his eye gave away his real age.

 _He reminds me of my father,_ I realized. _Only… Happier._

Nino hurried to take a seat next to me. I started opening my mouth to ask him what happened, but he held up a hand giving me the 'I'll tell you later' look.

The distinguished man wasted no time as he began speaking. "Good morning class, firstly, I want to thank you all for coming in early to listen to my lecture. I greatly appreciate when young people such as yourselves show interest and willingness to learn."

Just as he was about to speak again the door slid open and Alya walked in, followed by Marinette as she popped her dark blue head in from the hallway. They rushed in taking their seats behind me and I briefly noted her new clothes.

"Ah there's always a few stragglers," the man nodded good-naturedly. "Will there be anyone else joining us today?"

"Uh- no Sir," Alya quipped quickly. "We should be the last."

"Well then let's begin, I hope you've all had a good start to your day," he said, and a wave of guilt rushed over me. "My name is Louis Sanguine, but you may all call me Dr. Sanguine, or Professor Sanguine if you'd like. I retired around 5 years ago after an eventful 37 years as a medical professional expert. Today, I spend my time inventing various instruments which are meant to improve the medical field of advancements worldwide. There are many things I could discuss with you in regards to medical advancements but as we only have a short time we will be focusing on electric currents within the human body." He stepped to the side focusing our attention to the chalkboard where he'd placed several charts.

"Now, usually when one thinks of electricity they think in terms of an energy source for your homes, or electronic devices which mankind has become advanced enough to convert outside sources such as coal, or more commonly oil, but many people are unaware that the human body generates electricity all on its own from substances we ingest in our foods. Electricity is- believe it or not-, vital to the human body. One of our most vital organs, the heart, generates a spark of electricity every time it beats. However, any imbalance of electric currents in the body can prove to be detrimental, which is why I have brought with me today my most recent development."

He pulled a medium sized cardboard box from under the table, setting it on the desk. Sifting through the box, he brought out a strange pair of glasses which looked similar to orange ski goggles, except for the metal antenna sticking out the left side. He set down the strange device for all to see.

"These glasses are just a prototype. If given the proper funding, the finished product should allow doctors to not only monitor patients electrical frequencies, but also create an image of the electric currents as they flow through the body which will help professionals find and diagnose any irregularities. This device has the potential to save many lives."

There was various amounts of muffled shifting and murmurs throughout the room as everyone strained to get a better view of the device.

"Dr. Sanguine," Kim called out somewhere from the back. "How much electricity can the human body handle before it becomes fatal?"

Everyone in the classroom seemed to lean forward in anticipation of Dr. Sanguine's answer.

"Very good question young man," he called back, then pacing to the chalkboard he began jotting down numbers. "Interestingly enough, it is not the voltage that determines the level of damage, but rather the current which is measured in amperes. Usually a charge of 0.1-0.2 amperes is all it would take to make the muscles in the heart fibrillate-or spasm uncontrollably. However, this can be a bit of a difficult question to answer because there are many factors to consider when it comes to the severity of electrocution.

"Like what?" Rose asked in her cutesy voice.

Dr. Sanguine smiled. "Well..there are three basic things to keep in mind. The level of charge carried in the electric current, body mass index, and the area which has absorbed the fullest extent of damage. The human body contains areas that show a higher level of resistance to electric currents such as our limbs. If an electric current were to shoot through a less vital extremity such as the arm, it would cause involuntary muscle spasms and tissue damage, but would not prove life-threatening to the individual. However, if voltages of electricity as low as 60-Hertz were to strike someone directly through the chest-, even for a millisecond-, it would cause irregular and potentially fatal heart palpitations."

The classroom was completely silent. As far as lectures go, this one had turned out to be unexpectedly interesting. I had to keep reminding myself to sit up straight every time I began to lean forward.

Dr. Sanguine examined the faces of the students around the classroom, "Very good questions from all of you. But now, let's go back to discussing electricity's more beneficial purposes."

The lecture didn't last very long. Or, that's what it seemed like to me since I found everything he talked about to be utterly fascinating. Not only was the class enjoyable, but Dr. Sanguine proved to be an unusually charismatic and entertaining instructor.

 _I wish he taught here,_ I couldn't help but think to myself.

Once he reached the lessons conclusion, the entire classroom broke out into applause. Various teachers stepped forward to shake his hand and thank him for coming, then finally Principal Damocles walked over to clasp him on the back as he escorted him to his office and just like that, we got out our textbooks and continued with our day.

* * *

_4 Hours Later_

~Louise Sanguines POV~

"I appreciate you coming out like this to teach my students," Principal Damocles said, as he began to rise from behind his desk.

"Believe me it was no trouble, I was happy to help," I stood as well. " I needed to be in Paris this week to await word from the World Health Organization should they decide to issue me a contract. I should be thanking you for providing me with a means to occupy myself. "

"Ah yes," he stroked his beard. "I hope you are given sufficient funding. That device of yours… Is absolutely astounding Louis, you're providing an important service for us all, I hope you know that."

"I hope they think so too," I sighed, clapping him on the back. "Before I leave, I was hoping you might allow me to use your office while I make an important call."

"Of course," he complied. "Who will you be contacting?"

"The World Health Organization. They're a busy company as you can imagine, so it is my job to check in with them."

"Then by all means! I have a few classrooms to attend, so you will have the room all to yourself. Take as long as you need and it was good catching up with you."

"It's been my pleasure old friend. Let's do this again soon."

He gave me a quick nod, then wasting no more time he strolled out the door closing it behind him to give me privacy.

I took a moment, then I walked to his desk ready to make my call.

* * *

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Authors Note:

Hello Dear Readers!

I would like to thank you for making it this far in my story! It means a lot to me as this is my first Fan Fiction-Ever. I am therefore extremely nervous, but I promise things will pick up in my next chapter so hold on.

My next few chapters are actually ready to go, I'm only holding them for some extra editing, but I will be uploading weekly! I may even upload chapter 4 early because I have created concept art for one of the characters that I'd love for you guys to check out. Make sure you look for a link at the end of chapter 4, and thanks again for reading!


	4. Not My Day

Chapter 4: Not my Day

~Marinette's P.O.V~

The bell sounded through the school signaling the end of our morning classes, I stretched out my legs and began putting my items away. Once I got my bag together I stood preparing to talk with Alya-, when a voice spoke beside my head making me jump.

"Marinette, do you have a minute?"

I nearly fell over when I realized Adrien was standing right next to me.

"I-uh-Pfft- yeah, I'll always have time to talk with you... I mean! not that I'll always- always! have time, but uh right now I do so uh.."

"Good," he smiled, ignoring my rant."Because I was really-"

"Adri-Kins!" Chloe came up and threw her arms around his shoulders again.

My left eye twitched.

"Now that all those 'boring' lectures are over," she said in a mock tone. "I can finally fix your haairrr!"

"Chloe," Adrien replied in exasperation. "I have to talk with Marinette."

"What makes you think you have to? Just ignore her, that's what I do."

My hands shook with anger. I'd had enough.

"Because unlike you Chloe, some people know what common decency is." I snapped at her.

"Ugh," Chloe tossed her head away from me in disgust. "See how unpleasant she is, let's go find better company," she started pulling him away, but Adrien stayed put.

"I'm not leaving until I talk with Marinette first."

"Why on ear-" Chloe prepared to argue when Adrien cut her off.

"I'll meet you downstairs in just a minute and I'll let you do whatever you want with my hair."

Her eyes lit up in excitement, then she turned glaring at me. "Pfft, fine. But you better not take too long, I have _lots_ of important things to do." With that final comment, she flipped her hair and stomped out the door.

When she'd finally gone Adrien let out a deep breath. "I'm really sorry Marinette."

"You don't have to apologize" I shook my head. "It's not like it's your fault Chloe has a horrible attitude."

"Well there's that and.. I'm sorry about what happened earlier too," he looked away from me bashfully.

"Oh... uh that." I felt my face redden as I remembered getting drenched right in front of him. "I-, It's okay, I heard what you said before. I mean, I already know you'd never do anything like that on purpose."

He shook his head. "I'm glad you know that but, you've had a pretty hard morning and.. I'm sorry that I'm the one who had to start it off."

"Adrien it's really okay," I put my hands up to stop him. "It was an honest mistake." _If anything I started off my own horrible day,_ I thought to myself.

"Let me make it up to you," his face lit up. "We can go see a movie and I'll buy your ticket."

My mouth nearly dropped to the floor. _Did the most perfect boy in school just ask me out…_

"I-, y-you want me? T-t-to go to the movies.. with… you."

"Yeah! It'll be fun," he grinned. "We'll have to pick out a good film, I'll bet Nino and Alya already know of one we can all go see."

The edges of my mouth fell ever so slightly, but I quickly covered it up. "Oh, yeah uh- I'll bet they do know of a good one… A good movie I mean.."

"Great! I'll tell Nino and then we can try to get together sometime this week," he patted my arm. "Thanks for being so understanding Marinette."

I clasped my arms together on my chest as butterflies fluttered within. _He's touching me…_ I stared at him dreamily, then realized he was staring back waiting for a response.

"Uh- yeah! I'll, see you later then," I snap out of my elation. "- Er-well I mean- I'll see you when we all get back from lunch- and then I'll see you for the rest of the day..but uh I mean..."

"Yeah…" he gave me a confused smile dropping his arm by his side. "See you after lunch," he waved walking past.

I waved back awkwardly until he exited the room, then I slumped down into my chair again. "Oh my god, I'm the worst," I slammed my head down onto my desk.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad."

"AHH!" I jumped, swinging my head back up.

Alya was leaning on my chair next to me without me having even noticed. "Why is everybody sneaking up on me today!" I exclaimed.

"It's not my fault you were too busy gawking at the good-looking hunk of man to notice me," she laughed. "But way to go Mari, you scored a sweet date with Adrien girl! That's gotta be exciting huh?"

"It is exciting," I paused. "...It's just, I wish he wasn't taking me out because he feels like he owes me something."

Alya pursed her lips. "Hey, it's not like that at all I mean- you heard him, he said it was gonna be fun and he looked really happy."

"Maybe.." I sighed.

"He wouldn't have offered if he didn't want to go with you." She nudged me playfully then pulled me out of my chair. "Now come on, let's go get you some better clothes."

We descended down the staircase and just when we reached the last step and I turned to say something to Alya-, and an explosion erupted from behind releasing a deafening boom and throwing the two of us across the floor.

I didn't remember hitting the ground, but that's where I was when I opened my eyes. Rubble fell around me bouncing off the floor and covering my skin with a thin layer of dust. My ears were ringing, but as soon as I got to my senses I pushed myself up turning towards the blast. I must have hit my head because the room swayed before my eyes as I stumbled to gain my balance.

Eventually my vision steadied and I found the source of the commotion. The wall where the principal's office had been was now a gaping hole releasing a dark cloud of dust and smoke into the building… the air smelled like something was burnt.

Screams flew through the air as students and teachers had already begun to run from the vicinity, I spun on my heels.

"Alya! Quick head for the-" before my words got out I caught sight of her lying a few feet away from me on the floor.

The blood drained from my face. "ALYA!" I yelled running to my best friend. I grabbed both her shoulders and shook her body.

"Alya, Alya! Wake up! You have to wake up!" I yelled at her.

Much to my relief, she began to stir right away, the edges of her pale green irises became visible as her eyes opened into tiny slits.

"Mari?" She groaned. Taking in the scene around us her eyes shot open as wide as they could go, and she jolted upright on her own.

"Mari- what the-, what's going on?"

"Oh thank goodness!" I cried quickly throwing my arms around her, I only pushed away to help her to her feet. She seemed as dizzy as I had been only moments before.

"I don't know, but we need to get you out of here," I said latching onto her hand and running towards the exit.

Before we had moved very far an ominous zapping sound hummed from behind us, I glanced back warily, and a tall figure walked out of the smoke cloud, laughing joyously. It took one look to realize the man was akumatized.

"Tell Ladybug and Chat Noir, Professor Bolt is looking for them!" He called out as the last of the students began to flee.

The man who referred to himself as Professor Bolt, had a skin-tight suit similar to what I'd seen dark cupid, or the Pixelator wear, however the base on his outfit was a clean white whereas the shoulders and shins were a dark blue. A wide black strap shot across his chest holding a strange device onto his arms that wired upward into a backpack just slightly out of view. His eyes were covered by reflective orange ski goggles that pointed out at the ends, and a small antenna shot out of the left side of the strange glasses… strange glasses that I'd seen just earlier this morning.

"Dr. Sanguine," I gasped staring at hawkmoths latest victim, but I didn't dare stop in case he started attacking people. Only when Alya and I burst out the front of the school did I allow myself to lose sight of him.

Once we were somewhere safer I noticed the sky had darkened considerably, clouds were looming above threatening to rain at any moment, this however, hadn't deterred the crowd of onlookers who gathered around the entrance to gawk.

I glimpsed Nino amongst the mass and reached him seconds later.

"Did everyone get out?" I yelled, my ears were still ringing.

"I don't know.. I think so but, I can't find Adrien," he scrunched his face in worry.

I look around as well and I could see Nino was right, there was no sign of Adrien, and I had to find him.

"Here watch her! Make sure she's okay." I shoved Alya who had just begun filming with her camera into his surprised his arms.

"Wait? what are you-?" before Nino could finish his sentence I dashing away back into the school.

"Marinette!" Alya yelled after me, but I'd already run out of sight.

Leaning against the wall just inside the entryway, I reached for my purse. "Tikki! Transfo-" my voice faltered as I grasped thin air. I looked downward in disbelief. My bag was no longer slung over my shoulder.

"Tikki?" I asked. My mind reeled back to when I'd been blown off the staircase… right where I'd last seen akumatized Dr. Sanguine emerge.

 _Oh no.._ I blanched. _No no no.. How could I let myself lose her!?_

"Tikk!" I yelled peering around the inner courtyard of the school now filled with rubble. There was no sign of my bag or Professor Bolt, so I proceeded to dash up the staircase tossing my head around searching for my purse.

Just as I reached the top I dashed for the room-, when a black blur of a figure dropped in front of me grabbing my shoulders and nearly knocking me off my feet.

"Marinette, what are you doing here?" Chat Noir asked holding me in place.

"Chat Noir!" I looked up at him in relief. "Thank goodness you're here! Hawkmoths akumatized another victim."

"Yeah, did you see where he went?" He asked urgently.

"No, I had to help my friend out of the building before I saw where he moved, but I think I know who he is!"

His eyes widened. "Who?" He asked seriously, glancing over his shoulder.

"I think he's a retired doctor named Louis Sanguin, he taught a class here earlier today and he's looking for you and Ladybug."

"What? Dr. Sanguine?"

"Yes! He called himself Professor Bolt-but that's not the only thing," I blurted, speaking as fast as I could. "Most of the students and teachers have gotten out of the building just fine, but Adrien!- a boy in my class- is still missing. We've got to find him!"

Chat Noir made a funny face after I'd mentioned Adrien's name. "Err- well- uh d-don't worry, I'm sure he's fine… I'll look for him now," he stuttered out. "But come on, let's get you out of here first."

"Not before I get my bag," I said stepping around him.

"What? There's no time, you need to get somewhere safer." He reached for me again, but I dodged his hands skipping forward.

He caught up and latched onto me with a grip of steel only a heartbeat later and I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from yelling at him. _He's thinking for my benefit,_ I reminded myself. Yet I couldn't help but glare at him in annoyance.

"I can't leave without my bag Chat Noir," I squirmed.

"No dice," he shook his head reaching around as if to pick me up.

I prepared to argue, (or fight) when I heard that strange electric hum from earlier. I flicked my eyes up in horror, finding the akumatized Dr. Sanguine was looking at us from the roof directly across the building. It wasn't so much the sight of him that worried me, but rather the crackling ball of electricity which sparked in his hand.

"Good to see you got my message Chat Noir," he called out in a booming voice. Before Chat could even turn around, he thrust his palm forward unleashing the huge compressed energy… which turned into a menacing bolt of lightning.

I didn't think. I simply acted. Reaching out with my palms I used all my strength to shove Chat Noir backward.

His green eyes widened at me in shock. I held his gaze for only a moment, then before I even had time to cringe, a flash of lightning shot straight through my abdomen.

Everything moved in slow motion.

I could only focus on the spot in front of me as the crackling bolt of lightning zapped around my body taking control of my muscles and blowing me off my feet. I thought back through my day trying to find something that might pleasantly distract me from my inevitable doom, but It hadn't been that great of a morning to think back on. True I had seen my friends, and even got invited to a movie with Adrien… but I ended up feeling worse when I remembered I hadn't even hugged my parents before I rushed out the door. That thought came to a close as my vision went black, and everything was silent.

This was just not my day.


	5. Where are you?

Chapter 5: Where are you?

~Chat Noir's P.O.V~

"I can't leave without my bag Chat Noir," she squirmed against my grip, giving me a look filled with irritation.

"No dice," I shook my head at her. I thought she was more reasonable than this.

I started to reach for her again ready to drag her out by force, when something just over my shoulder caught her eye. Her expression shot from annoyance to alarm.

"Good to see you got my message Chat Noir," a voice call out amongst a strange electric hum.

I had begun to fling myself around, when catching me completely off guard a pair of hands shoved onto my chest pushing me aside with impressive strength.

Normally, I would have regained my balance with hardly any effort as I was unusually graceful with all my skills in karate and the help of my miraculous, but I was so caught off guard that Marinette of all people had pushed me, I fell backwards mostly from surprise.

I looked into Marinette's face and found her blue eyes were already on mine. Determination displayed as prominently on her features as shock was on mine, then before I could even hit the ground, a blinding bolt of light shot directly into her core and she was thrown backwards.

"No!" I shouted, but the sound was lost through the rumble of the blast the remnants which blew into me pushing me further away.

The environment around me faded but my skin still tingled and my ears let out a deafening ring, then I crashed into the ground shoulder first, painfully bringing me back to reality. Everything seemed too slow, and my mind scrambled to process the event that had just taken place. Between my hindered concentration, and momentary blindness, I struggled to gain my bearings. When the world around finally came into view, I stared dumbfounded at the empty hallway, a scorch mark covered the ground where Marinette had been seconds before… the place I would have been had she not pushed me out of the way.

She… saved me… I though in blank disbelief, then my eyes went wide in horror.

"Marinette!" I yelled out, pushing past my dizziness as best I could fumbling for a grip against the wall.

She could have gotten out of the way, but she didn't. I scrambled to my feet, dashing for the classroom. Why?... Why!?

My skin tingled again as another flash of light cracked down blocking off the doorway, but I was so focused on getting to her I didn't bother looking anywhere else. I set a hand down for support as my body slid across the floor, struggling to stop before running into remaining charges of electricity. As soon as I halted I furiously flung my head towards the perpetrator.

"Not so fast Chat Noir." The man's voice boomed down from the rooftop, his shoulders held back in a stoic pose. Something about how he held himself was familiar and I tried looking into his eyes, but I couldn't see the upper half of his face as they were covered by reflective orange goggles… then I flashed back to what Marinette told me moments earlier.

"He's a retired doctor named Louis Sanguin, he taught a class here earlier today-"...

My eyes widened. "Dr. Sanguine… what are you doing!? What could have possibly driven you to hurt people?" I yelled up at him.

"I prefer Professor Bolt, if you would be so kind," he replied casually. "And if you're referring to the girl who saved you just now, believe me when I say it wasn't at all my intention. I wanted to keep this between us superheroes Chat Noir, but alas, I can't help it if a few intrepid citizens choose to get in the way."

"A superhero would never risk anyone's wellbeing!" I retorted.

"Not unless it's for a greater purpose," he corrected with an air of arrogance.

My jaw clenched. "Dr. Sanguine would nev-"

"-Dr. Sanguine is gone!" He slashed his hand outward and a spark of electricity followed. "It's Professor Bolts turn to shine."

"It doesn't matter what you call yourself!" I tried to talk sense into him, and at the very least buy more time for Ladybug to arrive. "You're still a doctor and Marinette… she probably needs your help!"

"I will help her," he called down. "As soon as I get your miraculous."

I stiffened my muscles into a defensive stance, shooting daggers at him. "That's not going to happen."

He grinned. "Then I guess I'll just have to take it from you."

Bringing his hand up again he shot several small bolts of electricity which crashed into the school as I proceeded to dodge each one. I dashed away, each step bringing me closer to the doorway until I finally dove in slamming the door shut behind me, though I knew it wouldn't really help.

The classroom had become an unruly mess, a small 'crack' sounded from under my feet making me notice the shards of glass scattered along the floor and I sucked in my breath. She must have been thrown through the window.

It took me a split second to find her laying off to the side of the room underneath the disorderly chaos. I moved so fast trying to get to her, I nearly tripped in my haste.

"Marinette!" I threw the seats away dropping by her side. Please, please be okay. . .

Her eyes remained closed giving me no indication of having heard. I placed one of my hands underneath the base of her skull to provide her with some type of support while I examined her body. Her white gym shirt had been singed off towards the bottom exposing a painfully red and veiny burn on her abdomen, her right shoulder was covered in a wet dark red liquid that seeped further out into the cloth and began dripping lightly on the floor. I was just about to shake her awake when I looked at her chest… and found it wasn't moving.

She's not breathing, I panicked, feeling like someone doused me in ice.

I scooped her into my arms not bothering to go out the door should I encounter Professor Bolt and waste anymore vital time. I curled her into my body as best I could, keeping her face tucked into my chest. Once I was confident my hold on her was secure I ran to the windows on the other side of the room, shoulder first.

I easily crashed through the glass, falling to the concrete below in the most nimble movement I could manage, trying not jostle her body too much.

"Just hold on, Marinette you'll be okay," I spoke to my unconscious classmate as if she was the one who needed the reassurance.

Another boom sounded from above as the rest of the windows in the room shattered outward. I evaded the oncoming stream of glass, high tailing my way to the front of the school.

She will, she'll be okay, I continued saying to myself, but the beads of rain that dripped from the sky only added to my sickening feeling of dread. When I rounded the corner I barely took the time to register the crowd of onlookers and policemen. It took me a split second to find what I needed, then I fled to the ambulance parked on the side of the road.

Shouts of recognition flew up as the people in the square saw me approaching. I ignored it all, but luckily enough the commotion caught one of the paramedics attention.

The woman looked first at me, then down at Marinette in my arms. A flash of realization shot through her face and she sprung into action shouting directions to the rest of her colleagues. By the time I reached her the whole medical team was alert and pulling out a gurney.

"She's not breathing," my arms were shaking when I laid her onto the makeshift bed. "You need to help her."

The medical team descended around her, one man lowered his hand onto her wrist checking for a pulse, he wrinkled his forehead and began compressions onto her chest. The woman who had called the team in order grabbed my shoulder forcing me away from the progressing nightmare.

"What happened, Chat Noir?"

I opened my mouth to respond, when I recognised a familiar voice in the distance.

"Marinette?"

My heart sunk further.

I turned to see Alya standing like a statue, gaping at her best friend lying on the gurney.

"MARI!" She cried out, running into the scene. A few nearby firefighters and police stepped out to push her back, when Nino ran in from the crowd grabbed her arm and held her back himself. He whispered something urgently to her, but Alya argued and struggle against him anyways.

A few cops continued approaching to help hold her back when Nino managed to force her away from the scene. He held her tightly in an embrace cupping the back of her head.

"Chat Noir!" A hand pulled my shoulder forcing my attention back. "You need to tell us what happened."

I looked back at her in complete distress, but I forced my feelings aside to answer the question. "Sh-she, got hit by lightning… it threw her through the window just inside. I think she got cut by the glass but it happend so fast and I-, I got to her as quickly as I could…"

"Lightning?" The paramedic repeated skeptically. "How did she manage to get hit by-"

A thunderous flash shot down into the square answering the paramedics question. The already tense atmosphere dropped into chaos, screams came from all around me as the onlookers scrambled to get away.

Here we go, I readied myself.

"We can't stabilize her here, we have to leave! Go-Go!" The paramedic called out.

Just as the team began to move, I noticed something big and red zoom by my peripheral vision.

Ladybug! I thought, a relieved smile stretched across my face as I spun to greet her-, but there was no sign of whatever red object had flown by. Instead I found myself staring at my raven haired friend… fighting for her life because she had saved mine.

My smile vanished. I didn't want to watch anymore so I began to look away-, when I noticed a small purse that hadn't been present moments earlier tucked into her side.

Wait? when did she-? The gurney hit a small bump jostling Marinette, and her arm slipped off the surface as she passed. Her fingertips managed to reach my clenched fist, lightly brushing my knuckles and ultimately halting my thought process.

I stared after her motionless figure through all the medics, until the ambulance doors slammed shut finally blocking her from my hadn't I gotten her out when I'd had the chance?

"I commend you for what you did back there Chat Noir," Professor Bolt snatched my attention away, where he was nodding his head approvingly. "That was heroic indeed, but now that she's out of the way, it's time for the real fight to begin."

Whipping out my staff, I didn't bother answering him as I charged in swinging.

He evade my first attack ducking out of the way, but I had already guessed his intentions and as he tried to circle around me I twirled around shoving my foot straight into his chest. I hit him with enough force to sending him reeling back into the curb, where he landed in a giant puddle.

While he was down I scanned for items on his body that might contain the Akuma. It could be in his backpack… but it was such a strange design I couldn't imagine him having had it with him originally. No, it was most likely in the goggles, they were the same ones he had in class and I saw how carefully he treated them. On closer examination I could see the headpiece he wore were slightly different than what I'd seen during the lecture, but the differences were minor. If I could grab hold of the device I was sure It would stop him without Ladybug even needing to get involved. I would just have to capture the butterfly before it flew away, then I could wait for her to come and purify it.

I could end this. Before someone else got hurt.

Professor Bolt turned himself over in the puddle and rose to his full height. I could almost feel the annoyance emanating from him as he scowled at me, then in a quick motion he shoved his open palm in the air. Electricity flowed down his arm menacingly and I halted in anticipation of the attack, but just as the energy reached his hand, the light flickered out in spasms of zig-zagging waves. The energy pack slung across his back let out a pathetic 'whirrr' before it finally flickered out.

We stood staring at his hand for a moment in anticipating silence.

When Professor Bolt was done gaping at his device, he threw both of his fists forward trying to summon energy until his arms were shaking from the effort. A few more sparks flew out, and a fizzling hiss shot in the air like before, but this time his pack zapped out violently causing him to jerk away.

I smirked, lowering my guard, just as a butterfly outline appeared on his face causing him to cock his head to the side.

"I-I can't," he spoke while facing me, but I knew it wasn't me he was talking to. "Water must have penetrated the device Hawkmoth, if I force it to function the results will be unpredictable."

"Looks like your equipment isn't waterproof," I taunted continuing forward. He clenched his jaw beginning to back away, but I extending my staff behind his legs then leaping forward I slammed him back onto the wet ground. I prepared for a scuffle, but he didn't struggling against me in the least.

"This is over," I muttered reaching for the antenna attached to the side of his goggles.

"Not nearly," he replied curtly.

Too quickly for me to react he shot his hand out grabbing ahold of my staff and a spark ran out of his backpack as he summoned forth a spurt of electricity. The charge itself was small and would have been harmless, but the mixture of metal and water amplified the shock causing it to jolt up my staff and into my arm knocking me to the ground yowling.

I twitched on the floor trying to gain control of my muscles while Professor Bolt pushed himself up and stare at me.

I glared back at him as I struggled on the floor with what was close to a look of hate.

When he got to his feet he went into a crouch that told me he was ready to attack again, I raised my arm in preparation for his approach and when he was just about to lung for me-, a butterfly mask appeared over his face and he stopped mid attack.

He tilted his head to the side like he was lost in thought or listening for something off in the distance, but I knew Hawk Moth was communicating with him.

"But I can do this!" Professor Bolt insisted, throwing me another glance. "I have him right here I can-" he closed his mouth almost immediately and I got the sense Hawk Moth didn't agree with whatever he was about to suggest.

"Yes Hawk Moth, I understand," Professor Bolt nodded once, then doing the last thing I expected he stood-, and began walking away.

'What?...' My eyes trailed after him.

"W-where are you going!?" I spluttered, trying to pick myself off the floor.

"We'll see each other again very soon," he flashed me a taunting smile much like the one I'd given him earlier. "Tell Ladybug I'll be looking forward to it." Then without another word he bounded around the corner.

"I'm not letting you get away," I hissed under my breath. I'd already let Marinette down… and I might not have a shot to make it up to her, but stopping the person who hurt her would be a good way to start. At the very least I could stop someone else from getting hurt.

Shoving myself to my feet I chased him around the corner, when I came upon an empty alley. I didn't pause for long as I dashed through looking for whatever trail I could find. I ran as fast as I could, one side street down another, but I couldn't get a glimpse of where he'd gone, so I made my way to the rooftops.

I had no idea how he'd managed to evade me, and after 5 minutes of leaping around I was utterly perplexed. After 15 minutes of looking frustration began to dissolve my concentration but I pushed past and continued searching. By the time half an hour had passed without so much as a sign, I'd become so exasperated I slammed my foot into a brick wall to expel my pent up energy, hitting my foot hard enough to make it throb from the force.

I flung around ready to continue searching. Only when a lovely pot of flowers fell from the wall I'd just kicked, crashed onto my head, and knocked me to the floor-, did I finally give in.

I couldn't decide whether or not I should laugh or cry, so I stayed where I was, sprawled on the ground staring up into the dripping sky.

I was partially glad Ladybug wasn't here to see how horribly I'd messed up. It was no wonder she didn't have any romantic feelings towards me when everything about her was so… amazing. She was strong, and smart and so confident. Being around her seemed to make things better… whereas I seemed to only make them worse-, I plucked off a dirty flower from my head brushing it onto the floor.

Though I'd messed up, the rational part of me knew she needed to be here to fix everything. Like she always did.

I sat up brushing dirt from my body then grabbed my staff to contact her. I let the call ring out for quite a while but no one answered. I ended it only to try to locating her on the map. When that came up blank as well, I set it down scrunching my forehead in confusion. Surely news of what happened reached her by now? She'd never missed a fight before. Not once, I mused.

The last time I saw her was-, "Ugh." I covered my face from the memory. The last time I'd seen her she'd rejected my feelings, but I moved on from that part and forced myself to really think back on that day. Nothing had seemed out of order… I would have to ask Plagg when I de-transformed to double check but.. that day had been so peaceful, the only substantial difference was that no akuma's had shown up around the city. If anything, that should have left the both of us rested and on alert.

'See you tomorrow…' That's what we'd both said, my brows furrowed closer together. An aching feeling rose from within my chest and I tried to squelch it out it, but it lingered on. Why wasn't she here?

Where was Ladybug?

* * *

~Professor Bolt's POV~

"Dammit," I cursed to myself, pacing around the dark room.

I'd been so focused on attracting Ladybug and Chat Noir I hadn't thought through any of the obvious complications from my environment… or my opponents. I fumed silently to myself. It was a mistake I would account for next time.

Across the room a door swung open causing a dim beam of light to cast a silhouette onto the mysterious figure who had walked in. I stopped my pacing and straightened to meet the misanthropic man that had all of Paris on edge.

"You're Hawkmoth I presume," I began to approach, hand outstretched. "It's my pleasure to fi-" A compressing pain shot into my arm stopping me before I could get any closer. I gripped my forearm fingers curling in on myself and a surprised hiss escaped my lips.

The light illuminated the man's facial feature dramatically, only intensifying the sense of unease as he glared down gripping his cane and making no move to help.

"What you did was unacceptable, an utter disgrace!"

The crushing sensation grew stronger, I had to bite my tongue to keep from crying out. "I was doing what you asked me to Hawkmoth! If it weren't for the conditions-"

"You were reckless!" he slammed his cane onto the floor, the dormant white butterflies began to stir frantically around us.

"I told to you to retrieve a few trinkets, I so naively believed you were intelligent enough to jump in with a plan, a strategy!"

"I-, I was leading them to me, I thought it would have been best to strike while Chat Noir was alone. I hadn't meant to hit the girl, I didn't think she would-"

"Well she did." His glower was made even more sever from the shadows that sharpened the outlines of his face. "And the only thing you managed to accomplish is hospitalizing the foolish child. I'm beginning to think I chose the wrong individual to bring me a pair of mere accessories."

I sank to my knees as the crushing sensation continued to intensify.

"No! I will fulfill your request," I gripped my arm tighter to my chest."You shall have them. Next time we cross paths there will be a different outcome. I swear you will not be disappointed."

"You better hope I am not," he hissed.

The weight of his statement hung in the air. Then as quickly as the crushing sensation had started, it receded from my extremity and I let out a tense breath as the sudden relief flowed down my arm. I tried to focused on his face once more, but his back was turned against me as he swiftly strode away, finalizing our meeting.

"About the girl," I threw in before he could leave. "I could-"

"You've done quite enough," he silenced me, continuing towards the door. The butterflies glowed in the remaining beams, as the windows inside the room began to spiral inward blocking out the incoming light in response to his movement.

"I shall see she gets what she needs…" he muttered so low I had to strain my ears to catch it, and just like that, he was gone, and the room descended back into darkness.


	6. What Happened?

Chapter 6: What Happened?

~Marinette's P.O.V~

The sleep I began to stir from had been so deep, it took me a moment to realize I was in pain…

It was an irritating pain that lingered in the back of mind like a buzzing fly, but the second I focused it, the feeling rose into a roaring throb pulling me to consciousness.

There was an unfamiliar rhythmic beep in the background, but it wasn't until I smelt the air that I knew I wasn't at home. In the mornings my house smelled like fresh baguettes, and cookies.. whereas the current scent filling my nose was one of chemicals and hand sanitizer, but there was also a twinge of something sweet, floral perhaps?

When I finally did crack my eyes, I could have sworn I'd woken up in a flower shop.

The ceiling and the floors of the room were shades of white and grey and would have been pretty dull like most hospital rooms, if it weren't for the many-, many, vases of flowers taking up just about every possible surface.

After glancing at the flowers, I took notice of the various wires wrapped around my bed. One was a clear tube taped into my inner wrist connecting to an I.V drip, while another wire clamped onto my index finger, leading into an EKG machine which explained the source of the beeping. Judging from the amount of equipment surrounding me, I could only guess I was in pretty bad shape.

 _What on earth happened?_ I thought to myself incredulously. I tried thinking back on any possible life and death experiences that could have landed me here, but nothing came to mind. Judging my exhaustion, and the amount of get-well flowers in my room, I must have been here for a while, but that meant my parents had to be here _right?_ I peered around the room, shifting my head gently to each side, but no one seemed to be in the room with me. I lifted a hand to my throbbing head when a sharp pain tugged at my left shoulder making me gasp and flinch my arm back down, accidentally tugging the breathing tube attached to my face.

Using my right arm which didn't appear to be damaged, I lightly trailed along the flexible tube until I found where it connected underneath my nose. I was about to pull it from my face when Tikki's voice called out to me.

"Marinette? "

I could only bring myself to roll my head to the side to find her. "Tikki?" I asked hoarsely, wincing as each breath brought another twinge of pain. The moment I looked at her, moisture filled her eyes.

"Mari!" She raced towards me so fast she became a red blur that suddenly appeared by my head.

She pushed my hand away from the tube I was trying to remove, then nuzzled into my cheek. "I'm sorry!" she broke into tears. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to get separated from you-, and when I saw you with Chat Noir I thought I should wait until you were alone but then y-you…" She covered her eyes. "I must be the worst Kwami in the world."

"T-Tikki…." I reached for her, noticing how jittery my body was. "I don't know what you're talking about." I brushed her with the back of my hand reassuringly.

"What?" She looked at me with wide blue eyes. "You… don't remember?"

"No." I tried shaking my head back and forth, but the motion made me too dizzy. The longer I was awake, the worse I seemed to feel. "What happened?" I finally asked.

It took her a few moments to collect herself, but once she did, she went into detailed re-telling of the Akuma attack. Everyone and then I felt like she explained parts quicker than normal and gave me a sense that she was leaving something out, but I did my best not to say anything until the end.

"Where was I hit?" I groaned after she finished explaining. She seemed hesitant to answer but I followed her gaze as it trailed down onto my torso. That was the first time I noticed the dark purple and blotchy green bruises running down the center of my chest. I pushed the blanket back and pulled up the thin hospital shirt but I pressed against my skin too hard and had to flinch away. I tried again, pulling at the shirt as lightly as I possibly could until I exposed a veiny pink burn that shot outward encircling my stomach, riddled with as much discoloration as my chest.

"Your heart stopped…" Tikki shuddered. "You might have died had he not gotten you out as fast as he did."

My throat tightened. "Is-, is Chat Noir okay? did he-,"

"He's fine," she reassured me quickly.

A small weight lift of my shoulders, giving a moment of release. At least one superhero had been on the lookout.

"When.. did all this.. happen?" I asked blankly.

"Almost two days ago."

 _Two days!-?_ I scrambled to wrap my head around the fact that I'd been absent that long while the citizens of Paris needed Ladybugs help. "What happened with Professor bolt?" Did Chat Noir get the Akuma?" I asked the question too quickly, and the movement made me recoil from the sting of my broken ribs hovering just above my lungs.

"I got to you just after Chat carried you to the ambulance so-, I didn't see much of the fight," she slumped her head. "But I know Professor Bolt got away."

"Oh no," I moaned. One of Hawkmoths victims was loose to wreak havoc around Paris… while I layed in bed doing nothing. My head began to hurt the more I thought about it. "I.. I need to get out of here."

"What?" Tikki flung her head up to me incredulously.

"Ch-chat Noir… he'll be able to tell me what happened.. and the sooner we get the Akuma-"

"Marinette you almost died!" She cut me off. "Chat Noir can manage without you for a little while, you need to stay here and rest."

"I have.. to get a hold of him," I insisted, setting my arms on each side of the mattress preparing to shift my body so I could sit up and find a way down from the bed.

"Marinette! Don't!" Tikki began to panic, rushing to my side to prevent me from leaving the bed-, when the door to my hospital room was pushed ajar.

Tikki shot me one last worried glance before she zipped around the bed and out of sight. I looked over to the doorway, where my father's face popped into view followed by my mother- holding yet another vase of flowers. They paused at the entrance to gawk at me for only a moment before they were running to my side.

My parents crowded around me speaking over each other in a worried frenzy while taking turns lovingly stroking my hair, or holding my hand. My mother's face was strained like she'd done nothing but worry for the past few days, yet she kept a strong front for me. My father, on the other hand, was sniffling so much that most of what he said was unintelligible. I patted his hand and looked at him like I understood anyway, giving them both smiles and quick reassurances. They seemed to understand that talking was uncomfortable so they let me listen as they spoke about what had gone on while I was unconscious.

Eventually my father left to alert the medical staff that I'd woken up, and a nurse walked in to give me a quick reflex exam, then informed us he would call for the doctor.

It took 15 minutes before I heard another knock on the door. A woman with warm sepia skin, brown eyes, black hair and the iconic white lab coat walked into my room carrying a clipboard filled with paper. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng," she smiled pleasantly at my parents then turned to give me her full attention. "It's good to finally meet you Marinette, I am Doctor Limarta. I'll be explaining the extent of your condition and answering any questions you may have."

"It's nice to meet you," I responded giving her a small smile.

"How have you felt since waking up?" She asked getting straight to business.

I fidgeted as I tried to shift myself to face her better. "A little… uncomfortable," I admitted. "How bad am I?"

"Well, you've been through quite the ordeal Marinette," She scooted a chair closer to my side and took a seat. "When you were hit you were thrown through a window, and the glass cut through the area just over your shoulder blade so try not to move that arm too much as it could irritate the laceration or even tear the stitches. You've most likely noticed, but your sternum was fractured while the medical team was administering CPR."

I was a bit taken aback when I discovered medical experts had broken my ribs. "Did.. something go wrong?" I inquired.

"No, considering that your life was at risk things went very well. The fracture and break may seem like a mistake on our part but it was unavoidable. The amount of pressure applied by our medical staff which damaged the rib cage was also necessary to start your heart again," she explained.

"...Oh," I said not quite sure how to react. On one hand I was grateful that my life had been saved, but on the other hand, my chest hurt so much I couldn't help but be upset.

Sensing my displeasure, she continued to the next topic.

"Since they stabilized you, your heart has been beating irregularly which isn't a good sign but also isn't unusual considering the type of accident you were in. So long as we are able to bring that down in the next few days, it shouldn't be anything to worry about," she said reassuringly.

"Can.. you do anything about the pain?" I asked hopefully.

"We've supplied you with the recommended dosage of painkillers, are they not having any effect?"

"Not enough," I breathed.

She gave me an understanding look. "Breathing will exacerbate the fracture, and we will provide you with necessary medication to make you more comfortable but we need you to answer a few questions before we give you anything more to make sure the medication isn't affecting your mind. I understand you are in a great deal of pain, but if you find yourself holding your breath or breathing less than you need to, it'll only lead to more complications so try to push through the pain and take two or more deep breaths every once in awhile."

"Okay." I bit my lip.

"Can you tell us what you remember from the incident Marinette?"

"No, I-don't remember.. anything."

"Can you tell us the last thing you do remember?" My father asked gently, still holding my hand. His eyes were still a bit red from our earlier reunion.

I rummaging through my mind trying to ignore the pain. The last thing I remembered was being with my parents in the bakery, then… I scrunched my face trying to recollect the days events, but nothing more came to me. Whatever I'd been doing it was most likely Ladybug related so I wouldn't want to mention it anyway.

"I remember.. baking with my parents on Sunday morning," I eventual answered. "But nothing after that."

"I see," Dr. Limarta jotted something down on her notepad. "Well Marinette that was a day before your accident, I'm assuming your parents filled you in on what happened?"

"Y-yeah, they have," I tilted my brows in confusion. "But-, why can't I remember something like that myself?"

"That's something we're not too sure about, many lightning strike survivors experience varying degrees of memory loss as a result of the physical strain put on the body, or it could be from the blow to your head you received when coming into contact with the ground. Your memory may take a few days to come back, or it may not return at all. When the lightning struck your body, it entered your through your abdominal cavity- which is a delicate area that holds quite a few vital organs." She pointed to my stomach. "Normally skin acts as a shield against electricity preventing the flow from penetrating deeper into the body, but the bolt that struck you held a large enough charge that we have found signs of internal bleeding." She halted as if waiting for me to fully absorb the severity of the information.

I darted my eyes to my stomach in astonishment, then back to her. "I'm bleeding internally.." I said numbly.

"No, not anymore," she shook her head. "We found signs of internal bleeding when you were first admitted, but the blood cell count was not enough to to be life-threatening and it managed to stop on its own."

I released a small breath of relief. "So.. I should be okay?"

"You're not quite in the clear yet, the fact that you showed signs of internal damage still raises concern," she looked me straight in the eye. "You will need to be very careful with yourself as you heal Marinette. If you injure the area further you might start the bleeding again, which is the main issue we want to keep an eye on besides any heart problems. If your pain persists, or you feel something is wrong, be sure to alert those around you as the damage can turn life-threatening if necessary measures aren't taken."

She switched her attention from me to my parents. "You both will need to keep a close eye on her to make sure her condition doesn't worsen. If you notice she has headaches, trouble staying awake, or experiences moments of confusion, these may all be signs that something is amiss and we urge you to bring her to a medical facility as soon as possible. We will keep her another 12 hours to monitor her for any warning signs now that she is awake, and if she doesn't show any serious symptoms you should be able to check out tomorrow around noon," her voice switched to a lighter tone.

"Check out?" My mother exclaimed. "We were told she would need to be hospitalized for weeks."

Doctor, Limarta cocked her head to the side. "Yes, her current condition is serious enough that she will need a medical provider to check in with her for a month-, most likely more, but it says here on her charts that she will be receiving home health care from our medical department."

My mother gave Dr. Lamarta a blank stare, then shot a look at my father. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say he knew nothing about it.

Dr. Lamarta seemed to understand the meaning behind the look and began flipping through the pages on her clipboard. "If you didn't sign up for that program maybe I picked up the wrong papers-," she stopped when she reached the right page. "Right here it states 'the Dupain- Cheng family' has paid all settlements," she offered them the sheet.

"What?" My parents exclaimed together shooting each other a look. My father overcame his confusion first and took the papers. "We didn't sign up for home healthcare-, we haven't even received the hospital bills yet."

"That is unusual," she gave the papers another scan then set the clipboard aside. "Well, first let's get your daughter her medication, then I'll send a nurse down to find a few of your friends in the waiting room," she looked from me to my parents. "While her friends keep her company, I'll send someone to take the two of you to double check your payment."

"I'm not so sure she's well enough to handle visitors," my mother chipped in nervously.

I twisted my head to her in surprise. Quite honestly, I felt awful and wanted nothing more than to sleep for the rest of the day so I knew she had a point… but after hearing from Tikki what had happened at school, there was no way I could doze off and put everyone I cared about aside for later. "I feel fi-," I began to argue when my father rested a gentle hand on my forearm.

"It might be awhile before you're able to see all your friends Marinette." My father spoke to me softly, but his statement was firm. "Your focus should be on getting better and I'm sure they'll understand you need your rest."

"I can handle.. seeing my friends," I insisted, fighting the irritation that seemed to intensify with every twinge of discomfort.

"That actually brings me to my next point," Doctor Limarta announced, bringing our attention back to her. "Though it is important your daughter does not strain herself in any way, I do encourage my patients to receive regular visits from close friends and family. Positive interaction is not only a good source of stimulation but has been proven to speed the body's natural healing process. It is completely your decision whether or not to share the details of her condition, but I would recommend informing your family, close friends, and even her school about warning signs to add extra vigilance."

I peered from her to my parents hopefully while they considered her advice.

"Well.. so long as you say it's alright," My mother paused for a moment. "But, let's stick to only a few close friends for now."

Dr. Limarta nodded in approval, I shot her a grateful smile.

We didn't talk much after that. Dr. Limarta proceeded to my neurological assessment, which mostly meant examining my head, then shining a bright light into my eyes to see how I responded. When she re-wrapped my shoulder, showing me the long gash held together with stitches I forced myself to look away, but overall the exam seemed to go smoothly. She took a few more notes and gave me some helpful breathing tips, then she wished me well and excused herself from the room, promising the nurse would be in soon.

Once she left and I had nothing to distract me, my injuries seemed to finally weigh down on me. It took just about all my self control to stop myself from pulling my hair in distress for the sake of my parents.

I really-, really, needed those painkillers.

* * *

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Authors Note:

Geez, what a place to leave off for so long huh? I apologize that it took so long to update, but I promise I'm not just sitting around twiddling my thumbs. I find time to work on the story every day and though it sucks that the chapters aren't as consistent as I'd like them to be, I think we can agree that it's better if I put out quality over quantity. This chapter might seem like a huge mouthful of medical information, but I try to make sure everything I put either interesting or adds a realistic quality to enhance and further the plot.

If anyone spots any mistakes that I have overlooked- (or am just completely oblivious to) -please let me know so I can fix them!

Until next time!


	7. On top of it

Chapter 7: On top of it

~Marinette's P.O.V~

My parents stayed with me until a nurse came to administer morphine. When the drugs began to take the edge off my injuries and finally allowed me to relaxed, he motioned for my parents to follow him out the door. My mom kissed my head gently and my father handed me my sketch-pad before they both walked out the room, leaving me with only Tikki and the gorgeous, yet absurd amount of get-well flowers to keep me company.

It took only a few more moments before my breathing became painless, something I was only too grateful for. As soon as my injuries weren't a consistent presence in my mind I was able to focus my thoughts back to the latest Akuma attack, not to mention how Chat Noir had been managing without me.

I was only a few words into asking Tikki more details of the Akuma attack when I finally understood why the doctors hadn't given me the medication right away.

What started as a feeling of lightheadedness had intensified until laying on the hospital bed felt more like floating on clouds. My sense of time vanished next, replaced with a sudden and exuberant giddiness. I didn't even need to use my sketch pad because gazing at the beautiful petals was enough to amuse me.

After a moment of staring off into space I realized Tikki had been trying to speak with me, but instead of listening to what she was she was saying, I felt it more vital to interrupt and tell her how adorable she was.

Tikki gawked, then I think she must have given up on the idea of conversation as she giggled to herself and patted my hand affectionately. We sat in silence for I don't know how long and I happily went back to viewing the flowers.

The longer I stared around the room, the heavier and harder to use my body became. My eyelids had just begun to droop when voices outside my room caught my attention.

"Be aware of her energy level while you're with her, if she gets too tired we ask that you excuse yourselves so she can get some rest." Said a voice I hadn't heard before.

"We'll keep an eye out," another voice promised. This one I recognized immediately and a flow of excitement ran through me, chasing away the drowsiness.

"Alya!" I chimed loudly, unable to contain my energy. Laughter bubbled out of Tikki as she flew to her hiding spot once more.

The voices outside the door quieted, then Alya's anxious face peered into the doorway finding me immediately.

"Oh Marinette!" Her face lit up and she ran to my side shakily placing her arms around my neck.

"We've been waiting to see you since you got here but the staff wouldn't let us come up, and all your parents could tell us was that you'd been stabilized but hadn't woken up yet and we were so… worried, " her voice broke a little at the end of her babble.

My arm and ribs didn't seem to bother me at the moment so I eagerly hugged her back. "Hey, it's okay," I said comfortingly. "I'm glad to see you too."

"Y-yeah," she sniffled, pulling away to rub her eyes.

While she composed herself, I noticed a figure in the doorway. I peeked over expecting to find my nurse, but much to my surprise found Adrien and Nino lingering at the entrance of my room.

"You guys came, too!" I called excitedly.

Alya's eyebrows raised at my forwardness. Nino grinned, and he accepted my enthusiasm as an invitation to step forward beside Alya.

"Hey Mari," Nino waved his hand at me.

"Hi!" I waved at him giddily, then switched my attention back to Adrien who was still hovering in the doorway.

He was staring at me, but I felt like it wasn't really me he was looking at. His eyes hovered over the bandage on my shoulder then to the breathing tube across my face and his forehead creased in worry, but I was too fuzzy to think much of it.

"Why are you so far away?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

His eyes snapped up to my face like he'd just realized he was being spoken to.

"Oh––uh, sorry," he threw me an embarrassed, yet good-natured smile.

He took a few steps further in the room, yet he was still farther away than I was happy with.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his forehead was still furrowed in worry.

"I feel… I feel really good," I sighed contently, then I straightened my face and looked at the three of them seriously. "You guys are not gonna believe this."

"Believe what?" Adrien asked, a wary expression crossed his face.

I leaned in carefully. "You have to come closer," I insisted.

They all seemed a bit perplexed, but eventually everyone stepped over to the bed. Alya and Nino moved over so the three of them were lined up next to me.

"Guess what," I whispered, nearly jittering with excitement.

"Umm, what?" Alya asked skeptically for everyone.

"I live in a flower shop!" I blurted like it was the greatest thing that could ever happen to anyone.

The three of them raised their eyebrows. Nino and Adrien shot Alya a ' _what's wrong with her_ ' look. Alya raised her hands up defense as if to say, ' _how would I know?_ ' then she looked back at me carefully.

"Uh, yeah, there are a lot of flowers in here…" she sounded unsure of how to should proceed. "Did you get these from the kids in our class?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, looking over the bundles of lush petals. Then I gasped loudly as another idea struck me.

"We need to name them all!" I tried throwing my hands in the air to emphasize the joy I felt, but my limbs were too heavy to lift very high and they wiggled around uselessly like flimsy noodles. I stared at my arms blankly for a moment, then a bubbly giggle rushed out of me as I snickered at the peculiar feeling.

There was a split second of silence, and then everyone else in the room burst into laughter. Even the nurse lingering in the background had thrown his head back in the air. I grinned widely in response to the sudden giddiness (although I wasn't quite sure why they were laughing in the first place).

"What did the doctors give you?" Nino managed to get out amongst the joyous commotion.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "But whatever it is, I like it."

"She was in quite a bit of pain earlier so we had to increase her medication," The nurse explained in answer to Nino's question. "The medication she's on is known for decreasing pain, but it is also known to make people disoriented and unusually.. enthusiastic."

"We can see that," Nino snorted. "She's a riot,"

"It might seem like she's perfectly fine right now, but keep in mind the medication is coating the pain of her injuries," he warned.

The three of them threw worried glances from the nurse to me.

"Would it be better if we came back later?" Alya asked with genuine concern.

I stared at the three of them wide-eyed. "You can't leave," I complained.

"Well," the nurse continued speaking. "Until the sedative kicks in it would be helpful if you make sure she doesn't move around too much. If anything should happen, there's an alert button on the side of her bed. I'll just be across the hall, so please let me know if you have to leave, or there's an emergency."

"Thank you," the three of them answered, nodding their heads at the man as he exited through the door.

"If you have to go, I have no problem watching her," Adrien voiced to the group.

"That's nice Adrien, but actually…" Alya looked at him like she was contemplating something difficult. "I think Marinette might kill me if she finds out you- er-... _we,_ were around her while she's like this."

"But I don't want you to leave," I argued again.

"It'll be fine," Nino nudged her playfully. "Besides Marinette says crazy stuff all the time."

"Oh, ha ha." Alya rolled her eyes at him, then she glanced at me and bit her lip. The look on her face told me she really didn't want to leave.

"Alright," she sighed eventually. "We'll stay a little longer."

"Yay!" I cheered like everything was suddenly wonderful again.

I smiled broadly at Adrien-, when I noticed a section of his blonde hair frizzled into small dark brown spirals, like they'd been singed.

"What's wrong with your hair?" I asked curiously, looking for more burnt hairs, yet only that small section of his head seemed to have been affected.

"Pfft, see she's feeling good enough to crack jokes," Nino chuckled.

"I'm not joking." I cocked my head to the side to gawk at his head some more.

Adrien blinked in confusion, then moved his hand to reach the spot I was looking at. As soon as he brushed the strand a few of the ends broke off falling to the floor.

Alya and Nino crowded in on him to get a better look.

"Was that there before?" Alya asked, gawking at the hairs that had scattered out of sight.

Adrien covered the area with his hand as if he could hide what we'd already seen.

"Oh-, uh- it's nothing, I guess I was closer to the explosion at the school than I thought." He smiled sheepishly, then his eyes flicker to me, and I could swear I saw him wince.

"Were you hurt!-?" I tried to sit up but my torso didn't have enough strength to hold me, and my arms were too unstable to put any weight on. I didn't get far before Alya's hands were pushing against my shoulders.

"Woah there, calm down," she leaned me back against my pillow. I was tired enough that I let her.

"Chat Noir saved Adrien after you told him he was missing."

"Yeah… Chat Noir saved me," Adrien murmured dejectedly.

"I'll bet you wished you'd listened to Chloe's hair rant earlier, huh?" Alya remarked, not having noticed Adrien's sulky disposition.

She and Nino laughed like it was some inside joke and even Adrien's lips turned up into a small grin like he was in on it as well. I stared at them quizzically, feeling a little left out.

"Why would you want Chloe to give you advice on your hair?" I inquired, and the laughter dissolved as soon as I asked my question.

Nino and Alya cast each other a look, while Adrien dropped his gaze downward.

"...You don't remember what happened that day, do you?" Alya said eventually.

I shook my head, but it only made the room spin around me, causing me to snicker goofily.

"Do you remember why you went back inside the school?" Adrien asked, leaned closer to give me his full attention. I was still so fuzzy his intensity didn't register to me as strange.

"Nope," I answered simply. "But I do know a certain cat would have been in big trouble if it weren't for me." I ' _tsked'_ my finger at nobody in particular.

"How do you know that?" His face scrunched up as if he were thinking really hard about something.

"Myyyy- sources!" I twirled my finger in the air then booped him on the nose.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise and he jolted back an inch to blink in shock at my finger resting gently on the tip of his nose. After a moment all the tension released from his face and he burst into spontaneous laughter.

"She's going to kill me…" Alya buried her face in her hands while Nino was laughing almost as hard as Adrien in the background.

"I think Alya was right." Adrien lifted my hand off his face still chuckling. Instead of letting go, he placed his hand over mine avoiding the I.V. drip tapped onto my wrist.

"We should probably let you sleep off the medication."

"Nuh-uh! I'm totally on top of it," I insisted stubbornly. My droopy eyelids probably weren't helping my case.

His mouth twitched into a smile and he shook his head in disagreement. "I'm glad you're okay, Marinette."

He smiled pleasantly, and the warmth within the smile seemed to reach his beautiful green eyes. My earlier drowsiness was starting to seep in again, only stronger than it had been before so I just took a moment just to gaze up at him contentedly.

"You're so pretty," I sighed dreamily, rolling my head to the side.

"O-KAY!" Alya interjected loudly, grabbing Adrien and Nino by their shoulders. "We're leaving. "

Adrien's face still showed signs of surprise and a slight blush crept into his cheeks. He removed his palm from my hand and placed it over his mouth to hold back another laugh.

"Aww, c'mon," Nino complained. "We can't miss out on this."

"We're _all_ leaving," she declared leaving no room for discussion as she began pulling them towards the door.

"It's been great seeing you Mari, we'll stop by again later, okay?" She kept eye contact and spoke slowly as if to make sure I understood every word.

A sudden rush of emotion overcame me as they walked further away and I tears brim in my eyes.

"Oh.. okay," I sniffled dejectedly, feeling my voice break and few spare tears managed to trickle out the corner of my eyes. I had trouble controlling my jittery limbs, but I managed to rub the tears away quickly trying not to give myself away.

The three of them seemed to freeze in response to my sudden outburst. Alya let go of Nino and Adrien then step closer to examine my face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked gently.

"Nothing," I hiccuped.

"But you're crying," Nino pointed out helpfully.

"Nu-uh," I huffed. "There's just something in my eye… " I blinked rapidly to dry the moisture.

"Are you in pain?" Adrien's shoulders tensed like he was holding his breath. His worry was like a contagion that spread to everyone else in the room. They leaned in waiting for my answer.

"No it's not that, it's just.. I'm gonna miss you all so much," I finally blubbered out.

The three of them relaxed.

Alya and Nino's faces smoothed in relief, whereas Adrien's held a mixture of relief and guilt, like he was struggling to decide which emotion he felt more of. When he realized how intently I was examining him he straightened his expression, but I'd already noticed the display of emotions.

"Did I say something wrong?" I frowned, trying to think through their reactions. "Is that why you're all leaving?

"No! You haven't done anything wrong," Alya's hands shot out as if to push away the very thought. "It's just time we leave so you can get some rest."

"I can rest later," I argued.

"We should probably leave anyway Marinette," Adrien added on, reinforcing Alya's stance. "I can't tell you what a relief it is to be here with you now, and I'd like to stay but…" his positive demeanor faded away. "There's someone else I'm really worried about and.. I need to go look for them."

"Ohhh." I bobbed my head in understanding. "That sounds really important."

"Yeah.. it is," he admitted. His eyes seemed far away like he was thinking on something troubling.

"Hey, you don't have to be upset," I consoled him cheerily, though I'd been the one in tears a few seconds earlier. "I understand what it's like to worry about someone important, but I'm sure they're fine."

"You think so?" He looked a bit anxious, as if my next words were important to him.

"Yup, I know so," I nodded. "When you find them, they'll be happy just knowing you were thinking of them." I yawned, but managed to flash him a reassuring smile.

"That's…" he paused at me for a moment in surprise like he couldn't believe how our roles had somehow switched. "That's really cool of you to say that Marinette."

"Does that mean you'll miss me?" I murmured, snuggling into my pillow and finally letting my eyes close.

More chuckling broke out and the sound made me grin, but my body felt so heavy I didn't bother to open my eyes again.

"Yeah, I'll miss you too," he chortled, and though I wasn't looking at his face, I imagined he was smiling at me again.

"We all will," Alya assured me, and I felt the weight of her hand rest on my arm.

"It won't be the same without you Mari," Nino called out, his voice sounded the farthest away. "Enjoy sleeping all day."

"Mhmm," I mumbled in response.

They must have taken my mumbling as conclusion, because Alya's hand slowly slid off my arm, and their feet clacked against the floor until it was only a shuffle receding into the background hum of the hallway.

"Bye," I mouthed, even though they'd left the room. At least, that's what I'd assumed until I felt the slight brush of a hand against the tips of my fingers.

"I'm sorry," someone whispered so low I wondered if I'd actually heard it. The voice sounded a bit like Adrien's so I must have imagined it. What would someone as perfect as Adrien have to be sorry for anyways?

Whoever it was I was too tired to care, and the memory faded from my mind as I slipped into a blissful slumber.

I hadn't felt this carefree in a long time.


	8. There's a light

Chapter 8: There's a light

~Adrien's P.O.V~

It had been three days since the attack at the school, three days since Professor Bolt escaped into the streets of Paris, and three days since I-, or anyone, had seen Ladybug.

When she didn't show up to fix the damages it took no time at all for citizens to notice her absence. People were so reliant on her lucky charm that it took two whole days for the school board to even announced classes were dismissed until the damages were repaired.

Without classes to worry about I planned on using my extra time to scour the city until I found Professor Bolt but after news spread about what happened to Marinette, my father took extra precautions to ensure my 'safety', meaning I was to be supervised through all my activities and couldn't, under any circumstances, leave my home unless it was for the occasional photo shoot, or fencing lesson.

I wasn't even allowed to go to the hospital, but Alya and Nino promised to keep me up to date on Marinette so I wasn't left completely in the dark. When they informed me that she'd woken up, it wasn't a question as to whether or not I was going to see her, but how.

When noon came around, I found my opportunity.

Both Nathalie and my father were scheduled for a meeting that would take who knew how long, but would give me a couple hours to disappear unnoticed. The second they left, I took my chance. I snuck out of my father's mansion as quickly as I could and made my way to meet up with my friends. I didn't think I'd make it in time, but I arrived at the hospital just as the nurse appeared to take Alya and Nino to Marinette's room.

None of us had heard much about Marinette's condition, so the nurse filled us in a bit about what to expect. And it didn't sound good.

They got her heart pumping again, but she was still suffering from numerous injuries. A fractured sternum, nerve damage, a minor laceration on the shoulder, bruising, not to mention partial memory loss…

By the time the three of us had arrived outside her room, I had no clue what to expect. As a matter of fact, I was terrified of what I'd find. If Alya and Nino were with me I didn't know how I would have handled it by myself.

When we heard her cheery voice call Alya in from the hallway, it gave me enough nerve to at least walk in the room. She was surrounded by flowers and medical equipment alike, smiling contentedly. A breathing tube across her face and an uncomfortable arrangement of bruises peeked out the top of her hospital shirt but still, she was smiling.

The relief I felt was substantial.

It didn't take long for us to realize just how out of it she was, but I don't think any of us could help but cling to our interaction with her. The things she said were hilarious, adorable and at times even shocking, yet even under the influence of painkillers, her natural goofy and caring personality peeked through.

Ladybug had remained a constant worry on my mind but by the time we left, I somehow felt lighter. Nino, (much to Alyas dismay) seemed to particularly enjoy himself. We were all still a bit giddy on our way out the medical facility until I recognized my family's grey vehicle parked near the hospital entrance.

The sight sucked me out of my momentary bliss and before I could even react, a heavy hand clamped down onto my shoulder. I looked up, only to find my chauffeur-and- bodyguard scowling down at me.

My mouth went dry.

I didn't say anything, and neither did anyone else. Alya and Nino seemed to understand the severity of the situation only sharing a glance with me as a silent goodbye, I waved goodbye as I was guided out of the building.

My absence hadn't been noticed not only by him, but of course by Nathalie who had taken the liberty of informing my father before I could beg her not to.

I would have considered jumping out of the car if I hadn't already known the doors were all locked.

As soon as I arrived my father was standing at the top of the stairs waiting for me. I had barely put a foot in the door before he announced I was to remain in my room until he decided I understood the danger I had put myself in.

The anger that crossed his normally emotionless face was all it took to understand there was no chance of talking my way out of this lockdown. I had a sinking feeling that Nathalie and the Gorilla were the only people I could count on seeing for a while.

Despite my inability to escape during the day, I made a point to search the city at night, though I continued to turn up with nothing. It didn't take long before I felt much like the prisoner I'd been before becoming Chat Noir.

Without Nino or any of my classmates around, there wasn't much to keep me from brooding on the Akuma… Or Ladybug. I didn't even want to think about what I would have done if Plagg hadn't been there to help me through the seemingly endless isolation.

Though I had Plagg to talk to, we ran out of ways to occupy ourselves fairly quickly. By the evening the two of us were staring out my window at the dull rainy evening, pondering my predicament.

"How am I gonna make it up to her?" I sighed aloud to no one in particular.

"Marinette or Ladybug ?" Plagg asked, obviously used to my sulking.

"Marinette," I mumbled.

"Yeahhh, she really saved your bacon," he noted unhelpfully.

I slumped my head on the window with a dull thud. "Thanks for reminding me."

"Oh lighten up," he brushed off. "What happened at the school wasn't that bad. Marinette seemed like she was fine to me."

"It still wouldn't have happened if Ladybug had been there," I sighed.

"Pfft, you handled the situation just fine. What do you need Ladybug for anyway?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe to purify the Akumas and stop hawkmoth from taking over Paris," I responded sarcastically.

"Meh," he shrugged as if it were only a minor detail. "If Ladybug gets the day off, it's only fair if we get some down time too."

"Plagg this is serious!" I spun to face him. "What if something's wrong? What if she's out there right now and needs our help?"

My eyes flickered to the gloomy overcast sky.

"Geez you sure know how to worry," he crossed his tiny arms grumpily. "Look, if anything was wrong I would have sensed something by now, so sit down and relax for a bit."

"We don't-" I began to argue until his sentence sunk in. I twisted my whole body around to face him.

"Did you just say you can sense Ladybug?"

"Yeah- yeah, it's great," he dismissed casually, rolling over on his back on the plush cushion. "More importantly, when are you're going to feed me?" he whined.

"This whole time, you were able to sense Ladybug," I repeated slowly.

"Good grief you're slow." He shook his bulbous head. "I'm just gonna get it myself."

He floated up from the cushion about to zoom over the couch in search of food, but he didn't get far before I lunged at him.

"Gahhh!" he spluttered as I snatched him in mid-air sending the two of us tumbling over the couch. I rolled onto the ground holding him in my outstretched arms.

"I'll get you food after you answer my questions," I asserted, holding his gaze. "Did you just say you can _sense_ Ladybug?"

"Yeah, what's it matter?"

A smile stretched across my face. "It matters because if I can use that sense as Chat Noir, we might be able to find her."

My enthusiasm seemed to make him grimace more.

"Let's get this straight, I can't sense Ladybug, I can only sense her Kwami, and even that's rare," he grumbled, fidgeting between my fingers.

Having finally gotten something useful out of him, I let him slip out of my grasp.

"But if you can sense her kwami, so long as they're together we can find Ladybug too right? Maybe there's a chance I can pick up on that sense through the miraculous!"

"Dunno. I've never used it to locate anything."

"Well, it can't hurt to try," I exclaimed, jumping to my feet with a new sense of purpose.

It might not have been much, but this information was the most I had to go on for days. If it worked, I wouldn't have to wait around and hope for something to happen, I could finally take action. That thought alone was all it took to get my heart pumping.

"Adrien," Plagg called out drawing my attention back to him.

He regarded me through uninterested droopy eyelids, but it was probably the most attention I'd seen him give to something not cheese related all week.

"Listen, you can run around all night trying to sense Ladybug, but there's no guarantee it'll actually work."

"Maybe that's because no one's ever tried," I pointed out optimistically.

"Ugh," he slapped his forehead. "Fine. Can I at least eat some cheese before we run in circles for hours?"

"No time," I blurted too caught up in my excitement. "You'll get some when we get back," I promised.

"But-," he began to argue as I threw my fist air.

"Claws out!" I yelled.

"Wahhh!" he spluttered spiraling into my ring.

* * *

Chat Noir's ~P.O.V~

When I first emerged into the night I wasn't quite sure where I should start so I decided to run my usual route. I visited various tunnels, side streets, back alleys, and the typical tourist attractions. Wherever I went, I waited briefly for whatever this 'sense' was, but I couldn't pinpoint any unusual feelings.

Just as I was about to lose heart, I felt it.

It wasn't a physical feeling that I could describe, it was just, a sense. Like a tug on my mind, or as if I could feel a presence. Whatever I felt, it began to fade, so without pause, I threw myself after it.

It was strange chasing after something you couldn't quite describe but as I followed it the feeling built up and I knew I was getting closer.

Just as I came across a corner, it was like the sense amplified. I dashed down the ally, heart pounding with anticipation then just as I sprinted out onto the streets, it vanished.

A shiver ran down my spine, but I didn't let myself panic, instead I froze where I was waiting for it to return. I looked through the crowds of people walking past, trying to spot someone who might look like Ladybug, but of course, no one did.

After the evening crowd began to disperse I took to the roofs in hopes that gaining higher ground would help me receive whatever signal I'd been getting before, but to no avail. It was like it blinked out of existence, leaving not even the faintest trail.

It was gone… and so was she.

At that moment disappointment hit me so hard it was like a bitter coldness had seeped into my body.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I'd put too much faith into this new plan and now, I was back to hoping… and waiting.

My chest tightened, and I turned, ready to call it a night when a light caught my eye.

The source of the light was coming from a three story bakery, placed neatly on the corner of the street, right in the middle of the area I'd been scouting. It was Marinette's home.

Marinette had been on my mind so much lately, I'd run over here without even giving it a second thought. Plagg was right. I'd just wasted my time running in circles after a 'sense' I obviously didn't have.

I should have gone home right then, right as I'd discovered my efforts were for naught, but I couldn't bring myself to leave.

It's not like her house was the only one around. I was in the middle of the city with an endless array of lights and noises, yet for whatever reason, her house seemed to stand out above all the rest.

As if my legs were working on their own accord, I took a step forward not wanting to tear my eyes from it.

Her balcony was just a bound away, all I had to do was leap over and-... Midway through that thought, I seemed to come back to myself and stopped dead in my tracks.

 _What was I doing?_ If the lights were on that meant Marinette was there, and what on earth was I planning on saying to her?

 _Hi, Chat Noir here. Just wanted to thank you for saving my life the other day. Real bummer you got hurt, but hey! No big deal right?…_

"Ha." I shook my head, and a few tiny droplets of water flung off from strands of my hair. I was about to leave, then something I hadn't thought of hit me, and I froze. If I left right then, what did I really have to look forward to? An empty room with no one other than Plagg to talk to. As angry as my father was, who knew how long that would last.

I peeked back at the circular window and for just a moment, the feeling of coldness in my chest dulled. Even if she was angry with me, -and I couldn't blame her if she was-, perhaps it was my turn to show I was there for her.

Then despite all reasoning, I let my legs carry me forward.

* * *

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Authors Note:

I am so sorry that took forever. Now that schools back I just don't have as much time as I'd like to focus on writing, but fear not! I will get this story written, and one day it will be complete!

The next chapter shouldn't take as long as this one, but I'm not making any promises. Thank you for your patience!


	9. The visit

Chapter 9: The Visit

~Marinette's P.O.V~

The hospital couldn't figure out how, or who had paid the medical bills, but whoever had helped my family pay for the expense had been very, very generous.

Everything I needed had been provided for me in the comfort of my own home, including over a month's supply of medication, various hospital equipment, and a personal team of medical specialist scheduled to check in on me throughout the week. All of whom were on call 24/7.

The nurses argued over whether or not I should have an I.V. administered in my vein but after agreeing that it might get pulled out by unforeseen events, they decided to leave me with a small heart rate monitor that connected to the EKG at the end of my temporary hospital bed which I could merely clip onto my finger instead. They stayed long enough to set up the machines and show me as well as my parents what to look for, then they departed after reminding me to stay in bed, take deep breaths and 'keep my painkiller intake on a consistent schedule.'

The numerous bouquets that had occupied my hospital room had been divided out to other patients, but my mother had saved a white orchid just for me, which she'd placed in front of my computer screen so I could see it from just about any angle.

My room had been rearranged to accommodate my temporary medical bed, placing me on the lowest level in perfect view of my surroundings. My parents had gone out of their way to make sure I didn't do anything strenuous, placing everything I could possibly need within arm's reach then consistently checking if I needed anything about every half hour. As the day continued, I realized I was being smothered.

When my parents were around every wince, strained breath, or movement was followed by irrational panic. I had to insist I felt better than I actually did, just so they'd allow me to do simple tasks for myself. I knew they were coming from a place of worry and I was grateful for all the little ways they showed they cared, but between the two of them running in and out of my room on a moment's notice when I was trying to talk with Tikki or the consistent need to assure them I was fine, it seemed impossible to relax. As the remnants of the medication finally dimmed the facade grew especially tiresome.

No matter how much I insisted I was capable of functioning on my own, they didn't let me do much more than read by myself. I was only able to persuade them to stop checking in on me so consistently when I announced I was going to bed early and would call if I needed anything.

When I'd finally gotten some quiet and the grogginess of the medication seemed to lift, vague bits of my memory started coming back. Tikki tried to help me piece things together but I was never able to form a complete picture, so she ended up relaying the day's events from her perspective once more. When she reminded me I'd been visited by my friends in the hospital… I regretfully remembered that part on my own.

"D-did I…" I pinched my forehead before I could continue. "Did I really boop him on the nose?"

"Well… " Tikki shifted her eyes away from me awkwardly. The look on her face was all I needed to confirm my suspicions.

"My life's over," I stated blankly, sinking into my bed and staring up at the ceiling in horror.

"It's not a big deal," Tikki assured me. "I mean they were obviously happy to see you."

I picked up my extra pillow and lightly flopped it onto my face as if it could hide my embarrassment. Not only had I made a complete fool of myself in front of Alya and Nino, but Adrien…. Of all the embarrassing things I'd done, this took the cake.

"I'm never showing my face again, this is where I'm staying for the rest of my life," I muttered.

I didn't have to look to know she was rolling her eyes at me. "Oh come on," she chided. "Considering everything that's happened shouldn't this be the least of your worries?"

"The Akuma's better," I muttered.

Before she could tell me just how ridiculous I was being, a tapping from across the room interrupted our conversation.

I peeked out from under the pillow in search of the noise. Tikki had flown halfway behind one of my lamps; already ogling at the window. I don't know what she saw from her angle, but it was too dark out for me to see more than reflections of light caught in water droplets running down the glass.

"Did you hear that?" I asked making sure we were on the same page.

"Maybe it was rain?" She suggested doubtfully.

The light tapping came again, only this time it was a firm knock, breaking through the sound of droplets on the roof. An eerie silence grew between us.

It was definitely not rain.

"Tikki hide!" I whispered roughly, lightly clutching my abdomen as I began to lift myself upward.

"But-"

"Go!" I hurried her adjusting myself to face whatever intruder lurked outside.

Though I knew it must have upset her, she begrudgingly listened and flew under my small bedside table. I managed to get myself into an upright position before the painful protest from my ribs made me stop. Though I was at a higher angle, the light from inside my room prevented me from seeing what,-or who was outside.

"Is someone there?" I called out as steadily as I could.

The window rattled against its hinges in response and a chill ran through my body.

When I looked down I realized I'd started clutching my pillow again, so I pushed it aside to scan my room for something more lethal to fight with, (though I knew anything that might have been the tiniest bit useful was out of my reach.)

I'd just about given up on finding anything and was about to go back to fighting with a flimsy cushion when my eyes rested on my side table to a book my mother had set out for me.

It didn't look like it had much weight to it, but it was better than nothing so I reached over, awkwardly snatched it up with my good arm and faced the window once more. I didn't need to look at the machine to know my heartbeat had sped up uncomfortably.

"H-hello?" I called out again, not quite as steadily as before.

For a moment there was only silence, then a flash of green pass around the rim of the dark glass. I squinted my eyes leaning over farther to make out the shape- when without any warning the window flew open and my heart hitched.

I didn't even wait to register the blonde head peeking its way through before I thrust the book across the room-, and my designer manual smacked Chat Noir in the face.

"Ooof!" He spluttered, hands flying to his nose, where I was pretty sure the spin had hit hardest. He barely had any time to register what happened before he went sprawling backward, flicking droplets of rain around my room as he struggled to regain his balance.

I sucked in a huge gasp when it looked like he was about to fall, but at the last second he got a steady grip on the sill and tumbled inside bumping into the side of my desk and knocked over a few supplies on his way down.

My heart was beating so fast and my limbs were so jittery, I couldn't seem to keep my arms still even while I clutching my chest. "Ch-chat Noir? " I exclaimed staring at him incredulously.

He cradled his face in both his hands rolling on the floor. "Ahhh," he groaned, pushing himself off the floor, a pink mark splayed across the middle of his face. "What'd you hit me with? A rock?"

"Wha!-what are you doing here!-?" I nearly yelled, panting for breath.

"I uh…" he rubbed his nose uncomfortably. "I was just in the neighborhood and I-," As soon as he faced me he stopped talking and his mouth turned down, giving me a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

My heart was thumping so fast I had a hard time hearing his words over the blood pounding in my ears but I nodded slightly to let him know I heard, but he didn't seem convinced.

He said something else, but this time I couldn't quite make out the words, so I just stared back blankly not getting enough oxygen to respond anyway.

He mouthed something again just as he began to approach and I became light headed so suddenly the environment around him began to fade into blotches of darkness. I closed my eyes and sank back onto the mattress before my vision could completely botch over.

I held my hand over my heart, pressingly lightly over the bruised area as if that could make it settle, but it thrummed onward exhaustingly. I tried to breathe steadily to help catch my breath faster, but I could only expand my ribs so far without irritating the fractures. I sucked in small gasps to compensate but no matter what I did, it didn't seem like I was making any progress.

Just when I thought I was going to pass out, the erratic pace stopped and a luxurious sensation of air filled my lungs.

As soon as it had come, it had gone and my heart picked up a normal rhythm like nothing had happened, which is when I first noticed the pressure on my arms.

I opened my eyes I was a bit startled to find Chat Noir hovering over me, flicking his eyes up and down my face in obvious distress.

"Chat?" I wheezed, taking as deep a breath as I dared.

"Marinette!" He exclaimed. Relief filled his features but his grave expression soon returned. "Do you know what you need? Do you have something in here that could help you?"

I shook my head.

"Should I get someone?" he asked urgently.

"No… " I said a bit breathlessly, "Don't get anyone."

He gave me a strange look. "Why not?"

"There's no reason for it," I replied simply.

"You just passed out! That's all the reason you should need."

"I didn't pass out, I just got light headed," I disagreed, clutching his wrist firmly. "It's not something we need to make a fuss over."

"That's exactly what you need to make a fuss over!"

"And how are you going to explain what you're doing here?" I sighed in exasperation.

That seemed to make him pause and he looked at me with concern.

"I just need to catch my breath," I promised, relieved I'd gotten him to listen. "I get that you're trying to help but if you wake up my parents… that might honestly make things worse."

I could tell he was thinking on my words but he still seemed skeptical. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?" he asked seriously.

"Yes," I replied without hesitation, and with that final statement, he let me pull him back to my bedside. Sure he wasn't going anywhere, I loosened my grip, letting my arm back down.

"Would you mind helping me sit up?" I asked, shifting around a bit to get comfortable.

"Wouldn't it be better if you lay down?" he questioned cautiously.

"Fine," I huffed in annoyance, starting to push myself up on my own.

I'd just pushed myself onto my elbows when his black gloved hand shot out pressing me back down.

"Marinette don't," he gave me a wary look.

"I'm going to sit up with or without your help," I warned.

He let out a frustrated breath, but to my surprise, he leaned over placed my arms around his neck and then cautiously hoisted me upward. He even went a step above by placing another pillow behind my back to rest on.

"… Thank you," I acknowledged once I was upright.

He nodded his head, then let me go gently. "You've got quite the arm," he commented casually.

I examined his face for any noticeable damage. Nothing seemed amiss, but the area was an angry shade of red. "Does it still hurt?" I asked.

"A little," he admitted, rubbing his nose again.

"Well it's your own fault," I snapped irritably. "It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been sneaking around in the rain this late."

"My fault?!" His eyebrows raised. "You nearly knocked me out the window! Didn't you hear me knocking?"

"Who knocks on third story windows?" I retorted. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

The look that flashed across his face was one I recognised as guilt. I cringed, realizing the statement was a bit too true.

"Sorry… " I muttered. "That wasn't the best choice of words."

"No you're right," he gave in, averting his gaze. "I'm the one who should be sorry… for everything. I would have visited you sooner but now I think it might have been better if I hadn't come at all." He bowed his head. "You don't have to worry about it happening again, and I hope you don't think that I-"

"Chat," I raised a hand to stop his rant. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean it, and it's probably better that you didn't see me earlier anyway so let's just forget about it."

"Marinette, I messed up and we both know it, you don't have to hide how angry you are."

I cocked my head at him precariously but he couldn't quite meet my gaze. The timid boy before me was so unlike the Chat Noir I knew. "Why exactly do you think I'm angry with you?"

He snapped his eyes back to me and I could tell he was a bit taken aback. "B-because of everything that's happened… you have every right to be upset with me. I don't blame you if you want to kick me out right now."

"Well, I'm not upset," I stated flatly.

"Mhmm," he nodded resting his chin in his hand almost thoughtfully. "See, that's the part I have a hard time understanding."

An amused huff escaped my lips. "Don't get me wrong, if you scare me like that again you and I might have a problem." I gave him a pointed look. "But I didn't have anything against seeing you. If anything I have you to thank for getting me to the hospital."

His face was still a mixture of disbelief and confusion. "Then why did you not want me to see you earlier?"

"Because... when I got back from the hospital I wasn't quite over the effects of my medication and for a while there I was… not.. myself." I explained with as little detail as possible.

I could swear his ears lifted ever so slightly.

"Ohh," he nodded his as if he knew exactly what I was talking about. "The medication made you act pretty goofy huh?"

"Don't ask," I moaned, slumping back into my pillow.

"Aww come on, it couldn't have been that bad."

"I was naming flowers and booping noses. I don't think it gets much worse than that."

"Sounds like you were quite the charmer," he grinned.

"Ugh!" I threw my hands over my head to tug my hair in distress. Midway through the motion, I pulled against the stitches that held my laceration together causing me to inhale sharply and jerk my arms back down.

"Are you alright?" he leaned forward, his forehead creased in worry.

"It's nothing," I repeated for the umpteenth time that day. "Just pulled my stitches." Instead of calming his nerves, his eyes flickered to my bandaged and bruised shoulder and his face furrowed further. "You really shouldn't move around too much. Is there anything you need while I'm here? I could-"

"Oh no no, not you too," I put my hand, up to his cheek pushing his face away.

"What?" He tilted his head so he was looking over my fingers, the overly attentive expression dropped off his face.

"You're giving me the ' _look_ ,'" I emphasised the last word bitterly. "Ever since I woke up everyone's been treating me like I'm made of porcelain. Do I _look_ delicate to you?!" I demanded, giving him the most serious look I could manage.

"Well…" he hesitated, eyeing the bandages that peeking out of my shirt.

"Don't answer that!" I snapped before he could say anything more. "My point is, _I'm fine_! I'm perfectly capable of handling myself and I don't need anyone coddling me."

He blinked, then even though I'd just yelled at him his shoulders seemed to relax. "It's okay that you need a little help," he insisted.

"I don't need help," I replied stubbornly.

He gave me a disapproving look.

"Listen," I held up a hand before I had to receive yet another lecture on my health. "I appreciate that you want to make it up to me and it's nice that you stopped by to apologise, but all this it's really unnecessary. I don't blame you for what happened, and I don't expect you to do anything for me to make up for it. I'm sure you've got a lot of important things to do so you don't have to worry about me." I finished, trying to take away whatever unnecessary responsibility he'd decided to shoulder.

I'd expected him to look relieved, relaxed, perhaps even grateful, but judging by the way he looked at me, you would've thought I'd insulted his entire family.

"You think I'm here because I-, I feel _obligated?"_

"Well," I hesitated, a bit surprised at how offensive he found the idea. "Aren't you?"

"Absolutely not!" he shook his head incredulously. "I mean-, I'm so sorry you got hurt helping me and-, I'd do anything to make it right but… I'm here because you're my friend Marinette, and that's what friends do for each other."

I blinked, studying his face searching for any sign of insincerity, but his features remained genuine.

"We're… friends?" I responded brilliantly.

"You risked your life for me." He chuckled lightly. "If that doesn't make us friends, I don't know what does."

Warmth spread to my cheeks and I turned my head to hide my embarrassment. "I-it was nothing." I shrugged off. "You would have done the same for me."

"That doesn't change what you did for me," he shook his head. "I don't want you to think I'm only here to make up for... for what happened back at the school. I want you to know I'm here because it matters to me whether or not you're alright."

Yet again his words caught me off guard and I had to take a moment to fully absorb the situation. The sweet sincere Chat Noir that sat before me was not the usual goofball I was used to dealing with, and honestly, I wasn't quite sure how to handle him.

"Thank you." I responded eventually not sure how to properly convey my appreciation. "That means a lot to me Chat."

"Does that mean I'm forgiven?" he smiled playfully, but his eyes cringed ever so slightly telling me my answer was important to him.

"There's nothing I need to forgive you for," I couldn't help but crack a small smile. "But do me a favor will you?"

"Of course." He nodded without hesitation.

"No more coddling."

"… Coddling?" he repeated as if to make sure he heard right.

"Coddling," I confirmed. "I don't need you treating me differently than you normally would. No more feeling sorry for me, and no more ' _looks'_ when you think I can't see."

"I don't give you… looks," he crossed his arm defensively.

I raised my brow.

"Oh alright," he gave in, gesturing for me to continue. "How would you like me to treat you?"

"I don't know," I half shrugged. "Like you normally would I guess. Just be yourself."

His eyebrows rose as he looked at me contemplatively for a moment, then the edges of his mouth stretched upward.

"Alright," he smiled. "Then it's a deal."

He grabbed my rolling chair from across my room and scooted it closer to my bed so we were situated side by side.

"So Purr-incess," he purred casually. "Been up to anything interesting lately?"

"Oh my god, the puns," I muttered, feeling a sudden urge to smack my forehead.

"Hey you're the one who wanted me to be myself," he pointed out.

"Is it too late to take that back?"

"It's part of the package," he laughed, but he drew in some of his amusement and focused on me in a more serious manner. "But kidding aside, how have you been? has your memory… you know, come back?"

"No," I admitted. "Honestly I don't remember much, but from what I've heard, I can't say I'm surprised how everything ended," I sighed. "It really wasn't that great of a day anyways."

"I'll say," he scoffed in agreement. "Getting soaked by a passing car couldn't have been the best way to start out."

"Yea-" I began to agree, until his sentence sunk in.

"Wait..." I flung my eyes to him. "How did you know about that?"

He stiffened, and his eye's dashed around my room much like Manon when I caught her doing something she shouldn't have.

"Ahh- well-uh, I-" he fumbled for words fidgeting around his chair.

"Oh no," I covered my face in distress. "Chloe sent the picture to everyone didn't she? Ughhh! I knew she didn't really delete it! How could I be so stupid, she'd nev-"

"No-no!" Chat threw in insistently. "There isn't any photo, I- just uh-, I asked your friends about you after the incident and they told me what had happened."

I slowly drooped my hands down my cheeks, shooting him a hopeful look. "Really?"

"Really," he assured me. "There is no photo."

"Thank god," I letting out a jittery breath, allowing myself to sink back in my bed, "I thought my unlucky streak was never going to end."

"You know none of it was your fault right?" he fidgeted with his fingers. "I mean, it was technically Adrien's fault for-, just about everything."

"Hey, leave him out of this!" I snapped. "It was completely me, and my own bad luck which brought on all the events. You don't even know about the stuff that happened _before_ I got to school." I pointed out.

"Ha!" he finally let out a laugh, resting both hands on his knees. "Well just imagine how unlucky Adrien felt when he realized he'd sprayed a girl as pretty and nice as you. I might feel sorrier for him." He joked.

Again a familiar warmth crept its way into my cheeks. The idea really had made me feel better, even if it wasn't true.

"At least everyone made it out okay," I said in an attempt to change the subject.

"Which reminds me," Chats eyes narrowed and he beheld me with a scrutinizing gaze. "What on earth possessed you to risk your life… for a purse."

I flung my head around to give him a strange look but the motion made dizzy and I couldn't to do much more than gawk at him.

"I-, I did not put my life on the line for a purse!" I exclaimed indignantly. "Do you really think I'm tha-"

"-Okay, okay," he shoved his hands upward in false surrender, probably trying to keep me calm. "Then, what exactly did you put your life on the line for?"

"…For what was inside the purse?" I replied lamely.

"You're gonna have to do better that," he crossed his arms.

There was no way I was telling him about Tikki, but I played off his curiosity peering around the room as mysteriously as possible, like I expected someone to be listening close by.

"Can you keep a secret?" I kept my voice low, beckoning him closer.

His straightened attentively and leaned in. "Of course," he promised eagerly.

"Good," I patted his hand. "So can I."

Chat pulled away instantly giving me a look that suggested I'd grown a third eye.

I pressed my lips together to suppress my amusement, but his expression was so priceless that despite my best intentions, a small giggle made it past my lips. I clutched my ribs lightly as my excited breaths made them sting.

He stared at me incredulously, seemingly at a complete loss of words. Then the stupidity of the joke seemed to break through his muddled expression and he chuckled despite himself.

"Whatever was in that bag had better be worth it Mari," he shook his head. "If I find out you almost got yourself killed over a container of lipstick I may have an aneurysm."

"Ha!-" I began to laugh again, when the sound was choked out by a spasm of pain causing me to gasp and retract my arms to my core in an attempt to hold myself together.

Chat's hands were suddenly on me, lightly pushing me back into my pillow, no trace of humor left on either of our faces.

Once my ribs stopped spasming, I let my hands fall to my side and focused once more on catching my breath.

"Sorry," I wheezed out.

"What for?" he asked sulkily.

"For upsetting you."

"Ha," he let out a humorless laugh. "You should worry more about yourself than how upset I am."

"I can do both," I half shrugged.

"Really Marinette, I don't think you realise how close you were to… dying." He looked away.

"I don't regret it you know."

"What?" he threw me a disbelieving look. "I find it hard to believe you don't regret scaring your friends and family half to death."

"Not nearly as much as I would have regretted letting you take that hit." I retorted.

"That's just it!" He rose angrily from his seat. "It's not your job to take the hit."

"So what? Do you think it's yours?" I challenged.

"Yes!" he replied in exasperation.

There was a moment of silence before I found the right words to say."You don't really believe that… do you?"

He fidgeted with his tail before answering. "The reason Ladybug and I do what we do, is to protect the citizens of Paris. What you did was…" he grabbed a handful of hair. "It was what I was supposed to do for you."

His words held such sincerity, all my frustration dripped away and my eyes finally softened.

"You know," I said gently. "There's nothing wrong with getting help every now and again."

"I could say the same to you," he remarked.

I opened my mouth to argue, but I struggled to find a flaw in his logic. "Maybe you're right," I admitted. "But you really shouldn't try to take so much burden on yourself. You know Ladybug is there to help too, don't you?"

He looked at me sadly, then he averted his gaze towards the wooden floor of my room, his earlier gloom returned. "You haven't heard yet, have you…"

"Heard what?" I gave him a quizzical look.

He kept his eyes on the floor instead of responding and alarm bells went off in my head.

"Chat what do you mean?" I asked again. "Heard what? Did something-"

"Ladybug's missing," he finally answered.

My eyes flickered to where Tikki was hiding, then back up for confirmation. "Missing?" I repeated incredulously.

His lips were pressed together in a tight line, and gave me a hard nod as an answer.

"B-but-," I struggled to form a response. "It hasn't been that long! People can't really think she's missing!"

"It's all over the news." He concluded not making eye contact.

I bit my lip, daring a glance at his face. "You don't believe that, do you?"

He staring down into his hands, completely void of emotion. "All I know is she wasn't there this time," he said flatly.

For the first time in a long time, I didn't know how to respond. I think he was waiting for me to say something, but it was like my thought process stalled. There was too much for me to process all at once so I just sat paralyzed.

He must have taken my silence as conclusion because he brought himself upright and took a step back. "I'm sorry I don't have better news," he apologized turning towards the window. "I should get going, you look like you need your rest," he threw me a half hearted smile, then just as his face began to fall he turned to hide the expression.

Something I saw in his face seemed to snap me out of my stupor. "Chat Noir," I called out, finally finding my voice.

He stopped in front of the window turning his head in my direction but not quite meeting my gaze. "Yeah?" he asked.

"I'm here for you too," I said, trying to express with as much sincerity as he had given me. "If you need anything… don't be afraid to stop by."

He shot his head up to gawk at me in surprise, then after a moment his features relaxed and for the first time that night he gave me an easy smile.

"I think I'll take you up on that," he winked. Then with that final comment, he slipped the rest of the way outside, pulled the window closed with a final ' _click'_ and disappeared into the rain.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Tikki peek out from the table to make sure he'd really gone. When she looked me in the eye a wordless message seemed to pass in between us.

 _What was I going to tell him?_

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Authors Note:

Hooray! Another update! it only took like... forever... hehe.

Anyways! I just want to take some time to thank all my followers for sticking with the story for this long. And thanks to all the wonderful comments you've been leaving, they mean a lot, and really make the whole process worthwhile. I hope you guys liked the chapter, and as always, I'll update as soon as I can.

Thanks again :D

~ Snowfall01


	10. Priorities

Chapter 10: Priorities

~Marinette's P.O.V~

My conversation with Chat Noir had left me unnervingly restless.

I'd remained awake for the majority of the night and when I'd finally manage to doze off, horrible chest pains would stir me awake and start the process all over again. By the time morning came, I managed to feel worse than the day before.

I had difficulty concentrating on any activity, much less keeping a conversation. I'd been so oblivious to my surroundings both my parents and a sweet elderly nurse named Sophie had startled me on three separate occasions, simply because I'd failed to notice anyone had entered the room. I made a mental note to work on that.

When my morning checkups were finished Tikki and I went on to discuss our next course of action. We agreed it was best to contact Chat Noir as soon as possible, but deciding what to tell him was a problem all of its own. We sifted from one idea to the next desperately trying to find the right course of action, but to no avail.

Every Akuma attack was so publicized feigning ignorance was definitely out. I could say I hadn't been in Paris during the attack which could explain why I hadn't shown up, but it still wouldn't explain why I hadn't contacted Chat Noir in the days following. We both knew we couldn't leave the burden on Chat Noir alone, but we also knew that even if I did come up with a good enough excuse to explain my absence for the past week, I still didn't have the strength to get out of bed, much less fight off an Akuma.

We sifted from one idea to the next desperately trying to find the right course of action, but with every minute that passed, the solution only seemed to get further and further out of reach. Nothing could properly justify my absence except Tikki's final suggestion, telling the truth and revealing my identity.

And that, I told her, was not an option.

The process seemed never-ending, once one of us found a solution the other would poke a hole in it and we'd start up right where we left off. We were in the middle of arguing points on a new idea Tikki had mentioned when the door to my room was pushed open startling us both.

"Guess who!" A familiar voice called up from the hallway. I turned to find Alya's grinning face popping up from the floor below.

"Alya?" A smile automatically rose to my lips.

"Hope you haven't been having too much fun without me." She winked, climbing the rest of the way in.

"Yeah right, I've been bored outta my mind, what took you so long?"

"Sorry, I meant to get over here sooner but there have been these crazy power outs around my neighborhood lately. I've even got a spike in viewers on the Lady blog because of what's been going on, but it's been a battle to keep everything updated."

"A spike in viewers?" I raised my eyebrows as I patted the edge of my mattress for her to sit down. "I can't imagine you've had much to post about."

"You saw the news huh?"

"The news?"

"Yeah, it's what everyone's been talking about." She pulled out her phone and tapped her fingers on the screen a few times before setting it in my hands.

The first thing to catch my eye was the heading made up of an obnoxious red font which read 'Crisis in Paris,' establishing a general sense of doom before the video had even begun.

I tore my eyes from the headline to listen to the anchor Nadia Chamak, already midway through the broadcast.

" _-Though the Akuma attack at Françoise Dupont middle school took place over a week ago, no help has come from our hero Ladybug to repair the damage. Power outs have also been a major report for several neighborhoods throughout the city, inconveniencing many of their residents. Mayor Bourgeois has assured our reporters that the problem is being looked into by the city and are soon to be fixed, but this still leaves many to ask the question; where is Ladybug? Citizens throughout Paris have reported sighting Chat Noir on several occasions, but Ladybug herself has yet to make an appearance. Without information on her whereabouts, major security departments from the local district are beginning to question whether the task of protecting the city yet again falls into their hands."_

" _Has our once heroic savior abandoned the city in its time of need? And with Professor Bolt still on the loose does this spell trouble for the citizens of Par-"_

I paused the video mid sentence, not wanting to hear anymore and slumped my head back onto the pillow covering my eyes.

"You okay?" Alya asked observing me carefully.

"Great," I replied unconvincingly.

"Then is it normal for your monitor to be flashing like that?" She pointed to the EKG machine positioned at the end of my bed.

I looked over discovering the lines which should have been pulsing rhythmically were a bit jagged and disorderly. My resting heart rate which was normally around 60 beats per minute, was speeding over 95 BPM.

"It does that all the time now," I muttered, yanking the sensor clip off of my finger and letting it dangle against the bedside uselessly. "Just ignore it."

"Mari," Alya's face scrunched up in worry. "That's not good."

"Well, there's not much I can do about it," I snapped.

Her eyes widened and she looked a bit taken, then her features relaxed again. "Hey." She rested a hand on my good shoulder. "What's bothering you?"

I ran a hand roughly through my hair. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for... I'm just so.. so… "

"Frustrated?" She completed my sentence for me. "I can understand that."

I appreciated that she was trying to understand me but at that moment, I seriously doubted she could.

I had an Akuma to catch, a city that wanted answers and Chat Noir who I'd left to deal with it all on his own and the worst part of it all, was how quickly everyone came to the conclusion that I'd up and left. After everything I'd done, how could they think I'd abandoned them?

"It's nothing." I lied, averting my eyes.

"As if," she rolled her eyes. "I know you're worried about what's happening. We all are, but it's not going to do you any good if you dwell on it."

"How can I not dwell on it?" I groaned. "It's all over the news, it's all anyone seems to be talking about and everyone thinks-"

"Who cares what they think!" she cut me off firmly. "Take it from someone who spends most of her time following the superhero regime, Ladybug and Chat Noir are the most amazing team in all of Paris. They're probably working undercover right now to find the secret lair Professor Bolt and Hawkmoth are hiding in!" She clenched her fist enthusiastically and I swore I saw a gleam in her eye.

I could only imagine all the fantastical possibilities sifting through her head. All which were probably better than the truth.

"You really don't think Ladybug has… abandoned us?" I asked peeking at her expression.

"Not a chance." She shook her head giving an easy smile. "It might seem bad right now but if there's one thing I know about Ladybug, it's that she's always done what's best for us."

"I… I guess you're right." I nodded a bit numbly.

"Of course I am, that's why you keep me around," she joked, bringing up her arm to nudge me like she often did- when she stopped herself midway eyeing the bruises sticking out from my shirt. She flashed an apologetic smile while setting her arm back down.

"Forget about it." I shook my head. "I'm getting used to it."

"Sorry," she patted my hand instead. "If I break you I don't think I'll be able to convince your parents to let me visit again."

"We'd find a way to sneak you in," I shrugged.

"True," she chuckled pushing herself off the mattress and began smoothing out her clothing. "Hey, I know I haven't been here long but I need to get going."

"Really?" I glanced at the clock. "Why so soon?"

"I promised Nino I'd meet up with him. I'd stay longer but this is kind of important."

"Oh," I said, the beginnings of a grin forming on my face. "Going on a date are we?"

"Ahhh, you could call it that." She shrugged.

I raised my brow. "If it's not a date then what are you two doing?"

"Honestly," she leaned in closer, "Nino and I are heading to the school to look for clues."

I didn't try to hide the confusion on my face. "Isn't the school still closed for reconstruction?"

"That's why we're sneaking in." She grinned, placing a finger against her lips.

"What?" I blurted out so fast it made my head spin. "But nobody's been allowed there for days!"

"Which makes it the perfect place to look for clues."

"What exactly do you expect to find!?"

"I don't know, but it's bound to be something good."

"What if you find nothing, and or something goes horribly wrong?"

"Then I'll call you, and you'll send someone to come and rescue us."

"Or-," I began, trying to think of something to deter her. "You two could try going on a regular date, and not look for trouble."

"Oh c'mon Mari give me a break," she clapped her hands together pleadingly. "I need something to put on my Lady blog and you said it yourself! No one's been there for days."

"Which is partly why I'm worried!"

"We'll be in and out before anyone's the wiser," she brushed aside beginning to dig through her bag. "And before I go," she pulled out a translucent orange bottle to distract me. "I'm supposed to tell you, your new medication came! That's great... right?"

I crinkled my nose at the brightly colored cylinder. "That is the is the worst way you could have possibly chosen to change the conversation."

"I thought I'd bring it up last in case you were still sensitive about what happened at the hosp-"

"Don't say it!" I cut her off throwing a warning glance. "Don't even think about it."

She clamped her mouth shut, but the smirk remained. "Anyway," she carried on. "I know you're not the biggest fan but take it easy on yourself, nobody's going to give you any privacy if your heart rate spikes you know."

"And here you're telling me to be careful," I muttered.

"Marinette," she crossed her arms.

"I know I know," I grumbled easing back into my pillow. "But seriously Alya, be careful, okay?"

"I always am," she assured me descending down the steps. "I'll be back to check on you before you know it!" She waved, disappearing from view.

"You better!" I called after her, but I doubted my voice carried down very well.

As the last of her footsteps fade down the hallway I let the silence settle around me, then finally I let my head fly in my hands.

"What am I going to do Tikki?" I groaned rubbing my temples.

"No matter what we do, Alya is right," Tikki hovered over my right shoulder lightly patting my head. "Your health is priority over everything else."

"Yeah, but it's not like Hawkmoths not going to take a day off." I sighed, finally bringing myself to look at the container in my hands.

They were both right, based on my schedule I was past due for a new dose and already my symptoms had started to return. An aching throb pulsates from my ribs to the gash in my shoulder, which would come nowhere near the pain of the burns I'd experienced when I'd first woken up in the hospital. Already when I tried to move my extremities the nerves tingled painfully, which only made the idea of getting out of bed even more unappealing.

I probably understood better than anyone how badly I needed this medication, but if it was anything close to what I'd received in the hospital, it would take away the only thing I had to offer… and quite frankly, the fate of Paris rested in my hands. The only way I could help now was by using my head.

I glanced over at my side stand where Tikki was sitting on my side table. She wasn't paying me much mind at the moment since the small tray of cookies my parents had brought up currently held her attention.

"Hey Tikki?" I asked to distract her as I lowered the bottle to my side hiding it under a fold in my covers.

She was already focused on her first bite into a perfectly baked chocolate chip cookie. "Hmm?" she replied.

"When I transform into Ladybug, I'm stronger right?"

My question must have taken her off guard, as she immediately stopped chewing then gulped down the rest of the mouthful to look at me. "Why do you ask?"

"Because when I turn into Ladybug I always feel... full of energy, like I'm stronger."

"That's because you are stronger," she took another bite. "When you and I fuse together we both are."

A spark of hope flared and I fought to contain the feeling of excitement as I continued my line of questioning. "If I'm stronger as Ladybug then wouldn't it be fine for me to help catch the Akuma? There's only so much I can do from here and Chat Noir could certainly use-"

"Absolutely not!" Tikki declared, setting aside her cookie to focus her full attention on me. "When you're Ladybug you are physically stronger in the moment, but once the transformation wears off you go back to how you were before you transformed. That means if you get hurt, or push yourself too far you'll feel the full effect when you turn back. You'd only be making yourself worse."

My flicker of hope extinguished in an instant. "Oh," I replied glumly.

"There's no need to rush right into action," she assured me. "As long as the Akuma and Hawkmoth stay hidden there isn't anything we can do."

"There wouldn't be anything we needed to do if I weren't stuck in bed," I muttered, slumping into a pillow.

"That's not true, someone needs to research more about Doctor Sanguine, who better than you?"

"Alya," I answered immediately. "Besides, Chat Noir has more use for Ladybug than he does Marinette."

"Just because you aren't with him as Ladybug doesn't mean you're not working hard to help him."

"If I go on like this for much longer he'll probably think I've abandoned Paris too," I said under my breath.

"Marinette!" Tikki flew in front of my face putting both her tiny hands on either side of my nose. "You're doing as much as you can! This is hard on all of us but it'll only make things worse if something happens to you. Chat Noir will be able to handle this on his own till you get on your feet again, but until then you have to promise me you won't do anything to put yourself in danger." She gave me a dead serious expression flicking her small blue eyes between my own. "Promise me." She repeated firmly.

"Alright." I gave in, shying away from the intensity of her gaze. "I promise."

Her tiny body hunched inward as she let out a breath of relief. "Good," she gave me a small smile. "Now all that's left is finding out what to tell Chat Noir."

"Actually,"I turned looking Tikki straight in the eye. "I may have figured out what to tell him. Do you remember what Alya said about working undercover?"

She gave a quick nod.

"Well, that's exactly what we're going to do," I declared, stretching out my arms and ever so slowly pushing myself into an upright position. "We're going to solve this from behind the scenes."

"How?" she asked still looking puzzled. "You can barely get out of bed much less run around as Ladybug."

"We won't have to," I said with complete certainty. It was the first time in days I had felt certain of anything.

"It's time Ladybug talked to Chat Noir."

* * *

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Authors note:

Let me start this author's note out by first apologizing to all who have waited longer than a year for this update.

To the poor souls that have faithfully followed, favorited, or left a kind comment after any of my chapters, I am truly sorry.

What I've done is horrible, monstrous, unforgivable even. You all deserved better, believe me, I know, but for the sake of making a story I found worthy of my time, the long wait was unavoidable.

What I've learned from this over-a-year-long project, is that writing truly lies somewhere between pleasure and torture (and writer's block is a very real thing that pulls it more towards torture). But had I not loved this story and taken the time to make it into what I wanted it to become, I would never have finished writing it. To add to that, if I didn't have all the wonderful comments and support from you, my readers, I would have lost my passion for this long ago, so thank you. (special shout out to Ways, your comment was a delight to read, you're such a sweetheart!)

This of course leads me to the good news; I've finished writing the story! Hooray!

Starting now, I will be uploading a new chapter every week on Friday for everyone's reading pleasure. I also recommend re-reading earlier chapters as a refresher and because I have made small improvements and updated them all as well.

"But Snowfall!" You may ask. "If the whole story is finished, why not upload the whole thing now?"

Well, my dear imaginary reader who has yet to ask me this question, it's because I don't want to. That, and I'm hoping to get feedback chapter to chapter basis to hopefully find out what is working and what is not.

Anyway! I'll shoot to upload on Friday around 12:00 p.m. mountain time from here on out. If I happen to not upload at exactly 12:00 p.m. mountain time, it's either because I've unexpectedly wound up in a place without a computer, or because I died, and you'll never get another upload from me again.

Either way, thank you all for reading and I hope you find it to be worth the wait.

~Snowfall.

-P.S. Thank you Nat, for kindly telling me I was spelling Adrien's name wrong for half the story :P... I honestly had no idea.


	11. Reunion

Chapter 11: Reunion

~Adrien's P.O.V~

School and my personal life may have been put on hold, but my private schedule appointed by my father and carried out through Nathalie, remained active. My father kept true to his words, I hadn't been allowed to so much as put a foot outside my room unless I was going to a private lesson; and the only time I was permitted to leave the house was when I was scheduled for fencing or a photo shoot.

It was late in the afternoon by the time my modeling shoot came to an end. When I finally exited the building the streets were crawling with the evening rush of people. Black umbrellas were a standard sight through the crowd even though there was only a light drizzle.

Judging by the dull looks, and occasional grumbling of passerbyers, everyone was tired of the rain by now, myself included.

I hadn't brought my umbrella with me, but I was in no rush to get inside the dry car where the gorilla waited to take me home. Instead I peered around the street, fiddle with my phone and even re-tied my shoe before arriving at the door, stalling as much as I dared. Then just as I began to grip the handle-, a bright flash zoomed past the corner of my eye.

A gasp rose from the crowd and excited chatter spread through the streets. I shot my head around trying to get a glimpse of whatever had caused the commotion-, as another radiant swarm of ladybugs flew around the square making the very air shimmer in its wake.

"Lucky charm," I muttered, spinning around to watch it dash around the buildings.

I gaped with the masses only a moment longer before the swarm dashed out of sight and I finally snapped out of it.

"Plagg," I yelled taking a large step forward as I scanned the area for the nearest alleyway. "We need to transfo-," I had begun to say when a heavy hand clamped down on my shoulder anchoring me to the ground.

I peaked over my shoulder where the gorilla towered over me with a notable grimace on his face. The weight of hand was enough to stop me from getting any further.

"Uh, s-sorry," I grinned up at him nervously. "Just wanted to get a better view. Do you mind if I just-"

He opened the passenger door before I could finish my sentence, practically shoving me inside before slamming it in my face. When he entered the driver's seat again he locked all the doors for good measure.

Something told me he was still upset that I eluded him the other day, so I remained compliant for the rest of the drive.

The moment we pulled into the gates of my mansion and the locks clicked open, I leapt out of the car and sprinted for the house. As soon as I got inside Nathalie was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with her clipboard in hand in her usual stoic manner. Like my father, her attention seemed to be completely on her work. I slowed my pace anyway, not wanting to clue her in on any sense of urgency. The last thing I needed was for someone to check my room later.

"Your father wanted me to tell you new business just came up and he won't be attending dinner tonight," she announced, not looking up from her work.

It was all too predictable, as I was used to my father canceling our plans. Normally I would have been upset that my father had pushed aside our time together, but today I couldn't have been more relieved.

"That's fine," I waved off, doing my best not to sprint up the steps. "I wasn't very hungry anyway."

"I could arrange for something to be delivered to your room later," she continued flipping through her papers.

"I'm feeling pretty tired so I think I'll just head straight to bed. Wanna get a good night's sleep and everything."

By the time I reached the top step she had finally took her eyes off the clipboard to look at me. "Are you certain?"

"Positive, see you tomorrow." I waved quickly not waiting for a reply before sprinting around the corner.

The instance I stepped in my room I threw my bag to the floor and opened my jacket for Plagg to get out. He did so at his leisure.

"Geez, what's all the commotion about? I was trying to sleep."

"It's Ladybug!-, or-, not Ladybug but her Lucky charm! I saw her lucky charm!"

"Ahh, okay," he yawned, floating past me to rest lazily on the couch.

"We need to transform!" I urged him, running to the windows and searching the streets below for any onlookers. I pushed against the cold glass far enough to slip out, but not so far as to let in any rain.

"You're always in such a hurry, we need to go here now we need to be there, can't we take a break for one-"

"Claws out!" I yelled.

I slipped out the window and jumped a few buildings over until I reached a balcony that provided shelter from the rain, then I wasted no time flipping out my staff to contact Ladybug.

"Pick up," I pleaded to the staff in my hands. "Please pick up…"

I reasoned that she had probably de-transformed by now, but enough time had also passed for her kwami to recharged meaning she could transform again, so I waited, gripping the hilt of my staff and staring intently at the small monitor.

With every unanswered ring my heart twinge with anticipation.

I waited and waited, barely daring to breath until finally the ringing ceased and the small screen lit up.

The room she was in was dimly lit, but upon further observation, I realised the lights were dim because she was under what appeared to be a thin white bed sheet.

"Chat Noir?" She called out. The sound of her voice immediately lifted a weight off my chest and I almost sank to my knees.

"Ladybug!" I couldn't help but cry with relief, pulling my staff closer.

I took a moment to run my eyes over her face, truly taking time to notice every detail. Her raven hair looked a bit more unruly than I remembered, and her complexion seemed to be… different. Paler? Less lustrous perhaps? I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but of course what little I could see of her skin was hidden beneath her mask so there really wasn't much for me to judge off of.

"Are you-"

"Are you doing alright?" She asked before I had the chance, her big blue eyes looked at me with genuine concern and I nearly choked.

"A-am I alright?" I gestured at myself incredulously. "You're the one that's been missing and you want to know if _I'm_ alright?"

"Yeah, about that..." She shifted her eyes away. "I'm sorry I've been out of touch for so long, it wasn't my intention."

"What happened!? Where did you go?"

"It's... a long story. But first I was hoping I could talk to you about-"

"Woah- woah, hold up," I held up a hand to stop her. "You've been missing for days. Before we talking about anything else, I want to know what happened. At least tell me if you're alright."

She let out a small breath as if preparing herself for something difficult. "It's uh.. Well. It's a bit complicated." She began still avoiding my gaze. I noticed a strange raspy sound come out her throat like she had trouble getting air. Had it been any softer I might have missed it, but my heightened senses were so keen I had no trouble picking it up.

"Are you sick?" I asked her before she could get a word out.

She blinked. "W-what makes you ask that?"

"It's part of being a cat, you know things." I shrugged. "Also you're voice sounds a bit raspy."

"Of course," she scoffed.

"So you've been missing this whole week... because of a cold?"

"No," she snapped indignantly only to paused. "Well...maybe, sorta.." She admitted, biting her lip. "This is where it gets complicated."

"I'm all ears," I persisted, not taking my eyes off her for a second.

She let out a sigh. "When I first became Ladybug, I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up with all the akumas that appeared, so I found someone to inform me whenever an attack happens."

"You have an informant?"

"Of a sort," she nodded.

I scrunched my forehead. "But, if you have an informant helping you, why didn't they tell you when the Akuma showed up?"

"My informant was attacked that day at Dupont middle school."

"But who-?"I had begun to ask when I was hit with a sudden rush of dread.

"It was Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Ladybug said, confirming my realization.

The silence that filled the space between us was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

"Marinette?" I repeated, unable to find the words to form a proper response.

"It's all a big mess really," Ladybug shook her head. "I was so sure that if something were to happen I would be informed, and I wasn't paying attention like I should have been and by the time I found out what happened at the school it was too late for me to do anything..." She bowed her head guiltily.

I guess that guilt was something we both shared.

"I'm so sorry Chat Noir, I swear I didn't mean to-"

"I-it's alright." I held up a hand to stop her. "You're here now and that's all that matters. Hawkmoths new Akuma is on the loose and I need all the help I can get to track him down."

"Professor Bolt is his name right?"

"Yes," I nodded. "But really he's a medical inventor named Louise Sanguine. He used to have a career as a doctor and gave a lecture at the school just before he was akumatized."

"Louise sanguine?" She tested the name as though it sounded vaguely familiar. "Are you sure, how do you know?"

"...Marinette figured it out," I admitted.

Her eyes widened, then her expression smoothed over once again. "So I-, uh.. I mean, Marinette helped before you were both attacked?"

"She did more than help," I muttered.

Her mouth lifted into a faint smile. "Well I'm glad you thought she was useful, because she's going to be helping us keep in contact for the next few days."

I snapped my head back to her.

"Keep in contact?" I repeated. "Why would we need help keeping in contact?"

"I'm doing some.. undercover work right now," she explained without giving me much detail. "I can only turn into Ladybug sparingly so if you find anything or you need to get a hold of me when I'm not transformed, Marinette will be the best way for us to keep each other up to date."

"Are you sure that's our best option?" I interjected. "With the Akuma on the loose I could use really use your help to track him down. "

"We still don't know what he's after," she negated. "Until we figure out what he wants and where he's hiding, there's nothing we can do but stay vigilant."

"What about the people of Paris?" I pointed out. "Wouldn't it be good to keep up a regular appearance for them? Let everyone know we're looking out for them."

"This is more important than public appearance," she disagreed. "And so long as Professor Bolt and Hawkmoth stay hidden there's no need for us to make one."

I wracked my brain for a flaw in plan, but I found none. She had obviously thought this through, like she did with all her plans… but I still couldn't silence the feeling that something wasn't right.

"I'm still not sure about this," I confessed.

"Do you have a problem working with Marinette?"

"No, it's definitely not that." I brush a hand over my hair, flinging a few drops of rain. "I trust Marinette completely, but she's already done so much... I don't know if it'd be right to involve her anymore."

"It's nothing she hasn't done before," she brushed off easily enough.

I gave her another incredulous look. "Exactly how long have you two been working together?"

"Um, Marinette's been helping me for a while now," she shrugged. "More importantly, she knows what to expect and I know she can take care of it. While I'm out of the public eye she'll be the best way for us to keep in contact."

I hesitated as we began to broach the subject I wanted to avoid most. "And you…" I paused. "You know what happened to her when professor bolt attacked the school right?"

"I do, and when I talked with her she assured me she was fine."

"If you'd visited her you might not think so," I disagreed.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, she doesn't have to do much. If there's anything she can't handle, she'll be the first to let you know."

I flickered my eyes around her face with uncertainty. "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive," she nodded.

"Then alright," I let out a tense breath, giving in besides my better judgement. "When would be a good time to check in with her?"

"Until we get a better idea of what's going on, we should check in everyday. Also! you'll need to make sure my-, uh.. M-Marinette's parents don't see you, so try to come later in the evening."

"Then I'll visit her after I'm done patrolling the city," I nodded.

"Good, that should work perfectly," her shoulders sagged and I couldn't tell if it was from relief or exhaustion.

"Thanks for all your hard work Chat Noir, just hang in a little while longer and I'll get a hold of you when I can. Bug ou-"

"Ladybug?" I interrupted before she could duck out of view.

She began to lift the screen back up to her face, but she did so almost... reluctantly.

"Yes?"

"You and I…" I hesitated, wanting to tread on the subject lightly. "We're fine, aren't we?"

Her forehead scrunched in confusion for only moment before she smoothed out her features again. "Yes, I told you I only didn't respond the last few days because I-"

"No it's-, it's not that," I swallowed hard to clear my throat. "What I mean to ask is..." I glanced at her expression looking for any sign she knew where the conversation was headed, when I just.. froze up. I cleared my throat and parted my lips once more to speak, but again I couldn't get the question out.

Her eyebrow scrunched up inquisitively and she cocked her head to the side. "What you meant to ask is…?" She prompted me to continue.

"N-nothing," I backed down flashing what felt like a weak smile. "Just uh, give me a heads up next time you plan to disappear."

"Oh, yeah of course," her entire demeanor became serious again. "I'm sorry I worried you Chat Noir, I don't plan on it happening again." She assured me with as far as I could tell was genuine sincerity.

"That's good to hear," I smiled sheepishly.

"I'll get in contact again soon, bug out," she waved, and just like that, the screen went blank.

I leaned back into the wall and slid down onto the floor. My breath rose as steam in the cold night air and I watched it swirl away, letting my shoulder relax, and allowing myself to breath, to really breath.

' _Ladybug would never abandon me.'_ I scoffed at myself for having ever been so paranoid. We could always count on each other and that would never change… Even if she didn't want me the way I wanted her…

I stood abruptly, shaking myself out and ruffling the back of my hair. I had to keep in a positive headspace. Ladybug was okay, she was back to helping me take down the akuma, and that was all that mattered.

'Besides,' I thought to myself somewhat more cheerily, 'Now I had a reason to visit Marinette.'


	12. A lead

Chapter 12: A Lead

~Marinette's POV~

A boisterous thunk sounded from my ceiling causing me to jump and my heart to spasm. Tikki and I flung our attention towards the ceiling, just as my balcony door opened she flew out of sight and a familiar figure dropped all the way to the floor with graceful quietness. His shoulders moving up and down rapidly with heavy breathes. Wherever he came from, it looked like he'd run without stopping.

"You.. know..Ladybug!?" He exclaimed breathlessly.

"Umm," I hesitated. "Not too well, we uh-"

"Why didn't you tell me!?" He rose, splattering rain water onto the wood.

"I can't exactly go around telling people I know Ladybug," I pointed out.

"Couldn't you have made an exception for her partner?" He flicked away the remaining droplets as he pulled a chair up beside me.

"I.. wasn't really sure what I should do," I answered truthfully.

He held up a finger like he was going to argue a point, then he slowly set it down again. "Guess that's fair," he admitted begrudgingly. "Would have saved me a lot of time though."

I felt a jab of guilt in my chest. "I'm sorry, I know you must have spent a lot of time looking for her."

"I don't blame you," he shrugged. "Besides, it was worth it, If anything had happened to her and I hadn't done all I could to help… " he shook his head like it was too much to think about.

"You really count on her, don't you..." I fiddled with my covers to avoid making eye contact.

"Of course, she's my partner. We rely on each other. " He looked off to the side, like he was lost in thought, but it didn't last long before he turned back and began shooting off more questions.

"So what's she like?" he leaned in,ears standing straight and his usual perky mood returning. "I mean behind the mask and everything? Do you know each other well? When did you-"

"Wait, hold up," I put up my hand to stop him. "We're here to talk about the Akuma, not Ladybug."

"...We can do both," he smiled innocently.

I sighed. "You know I can't tell you anything about her and she wouldn't want you to prying into her identity either."

"I never asked you to tell me who she is."

"Really?" I gave him a skeptical look. "Cause it kinda sounds like that's where you were headed."

"Oh believe me, I'd like nothing more than to find out who she is," he admitted without hesitation. "But I know that's not what she would want. Actually she would probably bite my head off it she found out I ever asked," he grinned sheepishly. "I was just wondering if you knew more about her as a person, when she's not running around saving people. I want to know what she's like behind the mask."

"Why not ask her yourself?" I dodged. "You two typically see each other on a daily basis after all."

"A valid point," he nodded. "But believe it or not, we don't have much time to talk when we're out fighting akumas and saving citizens. Even when we have a spare moment it's hard to get Ladybug talking, she's so focused on the task at hand she doesn't let anything else get in the way. It makes it difficult to get to know more about her, ya know."

"But isn't that a good thing?" I tilted my head. "It's a superhero's duty to prioritize the task at hand, especially when so many people depend on you."

"I think that's part of the problem," he rested his chin on his hand. "I worry she's putting all the responsibility on her shoulders. All the stress."

"Maybe she's okay with that. I mean, no one said being the savior of Paris was easy, she's should be able to handle everything on her own by now."

"She might be the savior of Paris, but she's still human," he pursed his lips, looking off to the side like he was deep in thought. "She shouldn't have to handle everything on her own."

I gaped at him in surprise.

Perhaps he was right about not pay him much attention when we were together, because judging on his behavior as of late, Chat was far more considerate than I had ever given him credit for…. That and he was observant as ever, possibly dangerously so in my current predicament.

Realising that I had been staring at him, he lifted his head to meet my gaze and my heart began to thump faster than normal. I jerked my head away, hoping he was too caught up in his thoughts to notice how flustered I was.

"W-we should talk about the Akuma," I stuttered, hoping he wouldn't be able to read what was on my face. "How has your progress been going on tracking down Professor bolt?"

His ear lowered, and his shoulder sagged but he didn't press me for more information on my alter ego.

"Since I last saw you, not well." He answered. "I was kinda hoping you or Ladybug would have some ideas."

I pressed my hand to my chin in a thoughtful manner. "If we know where his akuma is, and we know his weakness is water, then we just need to figure out why he's disappeared, and where he's gone."

"That's what I've been trying to figure out all week," he shook his head. "I've searched nearly every part of the city, but there's no trace of him. It's like he just… vanished."

"He can't have vanished, Hawkmoths akuma's have never vanished before."

"This time is different from the rest," he noted.

"Tell me about it," I huffed.

"At least now I have Ladybugs trusted informant to help me," he grinned. "Do you or Ladybug have any clue of where we could look?"

"Ahh… " I bit my lip in preparation to admit I hadn't the slightest clue. "Well, about that.. we-, uh. We were looking into clues.. But then-" I was luckily interrupted by my phone ringing out noisily across my side table.

I snatched it up perhaps a bit too eagerly. In my haste my stitches tugged against the sensitive skin causing me to jerked my arm back. I reached for it again, but this time I used my good arm to answered the call and Alyas face popped up onto my screen.

"Alya," I greeted eagerly, tilting the camera to make sure Chat Noir wasn't in the photo.

"Woah girl," she adjusted her glasses on her nose as she ran her eyes up down my face. "You look tired."

"Good to see you too," I muttered.

"Sorry, but are you feeling okay?"

"I just didn't sleep much last night," I shrugged off. "What's up?"

"What's up, is Nino and I totally snuck into the school and were checking things out for like a whole hour!" She exclaimed with glee.

"You actually snuck in!?" I blurted.

"Yeah! And it was totally better than being there during the day, let me tell you."

"Where's Nino?" I interrupted her looking in the background for his lanky figure. Chat began to lean in towards the screen but I pushed him away before he could make it into view of the camera.

"He's right here," Alya stretched her arm out of the screen, dragging a bedraggled Nino into the picture.

"Hey Mari," Nino waved, splotches of dirt covered his face and clothes. "Good to see you're alive."

"Glad to see you are too," I waved back. "Couldn't you have convinced your girlfriend to take you somewhere more fun and.. I don't know, possibly less dangerous?"

"Uhh, yeah, originally we planned on watching some old movies, but both our neighborhoods were having power outs on and off today so there wasn't really anything else for us to do," he shrugged.

"We'll have our movie day some other time," Alya promised him. "Detective work was more fun anyway."

"Yeah.. fun," he brushed remaining dust off his hat seeming less than enthused.

"And get this!" Alya blurted out again. "We saw Ladybug's lucky charm! It fixed everything just before we left and I even got it on camera so now I can upload it on the ladyblog."

"That's great," I gave her a thumbs up as I glanced over to Chat Noir sitting besides me still eyeing the screen with interest. "Hey Alya there's something I need to do really quick so I'll call you back later, okay?"

"But I haven't told you the best part," she insisted, peering over her shoulder as if to make sure she wasn't being overheard, then turned back to me and lowered her voice. "Before Ladybug's lucky charm repaired the school, Nino and I were examining the damage around the explosion, when we realized, it came from the Principal's office."

"Yeahh, that's what I heard on the news..." I paused waiting for the significance of the statement to hit me. "And that's important because?"

"It's important-," she raised a finger. "Because if Professor Bolt really is Louise Sanguin, it means Principal Damocles might be the last person to see him before he was akumatized."

My eyes widened. "So if anyone could tell us what happened, it could be him!" I shot Chat Noir a look.

"Exactly!" Alya confirmed.

"We have to ask Principal Damocles what he knows," I said, speaking now to more than just her. "Do you think you'd be able to find him?"

"Way ahead of you-, but unfortunately no go. We stopped by his house for an interview but he refused to answer any of our questions."

"Do you think he was hiding something?"

"Definitely. We were only there for a couple of minutes before he turned us away, but just as he was closing his door I heard him say something like, 'he wouldn't talk to anyone other than LadyBug and Chat Noir.'"

Chat and I shared a meaningful look.

"It's getting a bit late but I can still make it too his house," he whispered.

I leaned out of the way of the camera. "The sooner the better, if he knows anything about Dr. Sanguine we need to know."

"Hey, who are you talking to?" Alya called out.

"Uh, no-no! Just speaking out loud. You know me, I do that sometimes," I laughed nervously, tilting the screen away from my face as I made a shoo-ing motion at Chat.

' _Go._ ' I mouthed silently.

"Should I stop by on my way back?" He whispered.

"No," I shook my head."It's late and you need your rest as much as I do, besides I'll probably be asleep when you come back." I insisted under my breath, waving him out the room. "We'll end up seeing each other tomorrow anyway."

"Alright, I'm on it," he nodded, heading towards the balcony exit.

He stopped before reaching the ladder to look over his shoulder and give me a wink, then he leapt to the top of the ladder, shoved the latch open and sprung out the opening in one fell swoop, displaying more grace than I'd managed all week.

" _Show off,"_ I muttered under my breath.

"Mari, seriously who's there?" Alyas voice snapped me out of my stupor.

"No one!" I turned to her again. "No one at all."


	13. Sleepless Nights

Chapter 13: Sleepless Nights

~Marinette's P.O.V~

While Chat went out to look for any signs or locations, I stayed home investigating any unusual weather patterns to anonymous sightings. Since it was the rainy season, the weather had remained consistently cloudy with partially sunny days and from what I could tell, no unusual lightning storms had been recorded within a 10 mile radius of Paris since the attack.

There were several dozen claimed sightings of Professor Bolt, but half were from bystanders who witnessed the attack and nothing that transpired after, while the other half were only colorful fabrications that managed to waste an ample amount of time. The only information that remained consistent were the sightings around the attack but after that, nothing, like he vanished into thin air.

My head throbbed, and my body felt tingly and stiff all at the same time. I'd been staring at my tablet screen for so long my eyes were irritated from lack of blinking. At first it didn't seem so bad but after a few hours of research my eyes stung so badly I had to look up while blinking rapidly to stop them from watering over which made my headache worse. My medication became more appealing every moment.

I forced my droopy eyelids to remain open while I focused back on a new interview when tapping on the window made me jump. I peered over my shoulder to find Chat Noir perch outside.

"Come in," I called, rubbing my eyes again to stem the irritation.

The glass squeaked as he pushed open the window, then a soft thump as he landed on the wood floor.

"You really do look tired," Chat Noir noted immediately.

"So I've heard," I mumbled, setting my hands down from my face. "I thought you would have gone home by now."

"And I thought you would have been asleep," he said, setting himself down heavily in my chair.

It was obvious I wasn't the only one who was tired.

"I can't," I shook my head. "I've found a couple of leads that might be important, I need to follow them up."

"I thought Ladybug was looking into the leads."

"S-she was… she just asked me for some help looking through a few of them."

"Well, did she say she wanted me to help with anything?" His ears perked up.

"Ah, no she didn't.." I bit my lip. "She said you had a lot of work to do already and she uh-, didn't want you to strain yourself."

"Oh," he said simply, his cat ears drooped ever so slightly. "Well what about you? Shouldn't you be getting some rest?"

"Look who's talking," I huffed. "When's the last time you've had a full night's sleep?"

"Sleepless nights are part of being a hero," he shrugged. "And I'm not the one recovering from an injury."

"It can wait," I muttered, setting my tablet down and carefully pushing myself up right to face him more easily. "How did your talk with Mr. Damocles go?"

"Well enough," Chat Noir said, sitting up a bit straighter as well. "He didn't seem surprise at all when I showed up."

"Really?"

"Yeah, said he knew we'd come eventually. I asked him why, and he said it's because he knew the man that was akumatized, Louise Sanguine."

"So he knows his identity after all," I nodded thoughtfully. "Did he have any idea why he was akumatized?"

Chat held up his hands. "He had a hunch. Apparently when they last saw each other, Mr. Damocles had left him in his office to make an important call that would determine the funding for his inventions. He suspects it didn't go well."

"That could certainly explain why he was akumatized," I brought my hand to rest on my chin. "Do you think he's trying to go after the company that refused to fund him?"

"Not likely, it's a worldwide organization with several headquarters and several head members all over the globe," Chat rested his head in his hand. " I don't know how he'd go about targeting it."

"Then did he say anything else that could help us find him? Someone he could be after, a place he could be hiding in, maybe a way we could draw him out?"

"No," he shook his head. "I asked him everything I could think of, but he didn't know where he could be or what he's even after... He did seem particularly happy to have his office back in one piece though."

"So technically, we still have nothing," I sighed.

"Well that might not be entirely true, have you gotten ahold of Ladybug since I left? Does she have any ideas of where we can look?" he asked, looking at me expectantly.

In an ideal situation, this would be the moment when I told him about all the information I'd gathered, or important leads he needed to follow up on… but I simply didn't have any, which meant Ladybug didn't either.

"She doesn't have anything to report yet," I said briskly, picked up the tablet from off the side table and returned my focus to the screen to avoid eye contact.

"O-kay..." he nodded slowly, clasping his arms behind his back. "What were the two of you looking into?"

"We researched Dr. Sanguines known history, examined weather patterns around Paris, looked into all supposed sightings since the attack and watched just about every video surrounding the event, but we've still come up with nothing." I told him begrudgingly.

A smug grin appeared on his face. "Superhero work's not as easy as you thought it was, huh?" He asked.

I groaned, cupping my hands over my aching head and slowly dragging them down my face. "There's got to be something I missed," I muttered, letting my hands fall to my sides as I turned back to the screen.

Chat got surprisingly quiet.

"You know.." He began, all traces of his smugness left his voice. "I was just kidding about all the superhero work being easy, you've already done a great job Marinette, really. If anyone deserved a break it's you."

"I'm pretty sure we've established that I haven't done anything," I said, continuing to sift through my list of sources.

"Yeah, that's coming from the guy who's been running around for the past two weeks without anything to show for it."

"You've been actively watching over the city," I scoffed. "Nothing I've done even compares."

"Hey that's not true!" He sat up. "Without you Ladybug and I would have never had any leads at all. If it weren't for all this rain I'm sure we would have found him by now."

"Thanks but I really doubt-," I halted mid sentence and swung my head around. "What did you just say?"

"Umm, if it weren't for the rain we would have gotten him by now," he repeated. "That's probably why he hasn't shown himself, if water makes his equipment malfunction then he probably won't come out until it stops. Unless Hawkmoth forces him to I guess."

My eyes went wide. "Of course!"

"What?" Chat asked still looking a bit lost. " Of course what?"

"Ladybug and I have been focusing on weather patterns because we thought it might give us a clue to his location, but his powers have nothing to do with the weather!"

"It doesn't?" His brows furrowed.

"Just think about it, he uses electricity and shoots it out in a heavy concentrated attack just like lightning strikes, but from what I've seen on all the videos the electricity was generated from his own devices not from the environment."

"Then how do you explain the weather?" He inquired.

"It's April," I shrugged. "It's always stormy this time of year."

"You're.. right," he blinked with mild surprise, then his mouth stretched into a wide grin. "You're really good at this Marinette."

"Don't thank me yet," I shook my head. "We still don't have anyway to locate him."

"Well what if we didn't have to find him?" He leaning forward in his chair. "What if we found a way to lure him out instead."

"You said it yourself," I laughed. "If the rain affects his equipment it's not likely he'll come out until it stops."

"True, but if we know his weakness is water then we should be doing whatever we can to use it for our advantage. We just need to find out what he's after, and if he wants it badly enough he'll have to come to us to get it."

"That could work," I nodded. "If you have any ideas on what could possibly coax him out into this weather let me know."

"Can't say I do," he grinned sheepishly, getting up and strolling toward the window. "But hey, we still have Ladybug to get in contact with so don't stress out too much. She'll probably think of something we haven't."

"Yeah…" I said half heartedly, sinking further in the sheets. "I'll bet she will."

My head was still throbbing so I closed my eyes pressing a jittery hand against my temple to ease the tension, but I knew it wouldn't have much of an effect.

"You feeling okay?" Chat asked.

I snapped my eyes open, to find him staring at me.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." I lied, picking my tablet out of my lap giving him a smile that felt unconvincing even to me.

"Why don't we wait to get ahold of Ladybug until tomorrow," he suggested, eyeing me warily. "I for one could certainly use a break."

"You should go ahead home," I told him, gesturing towards the window. "There are just a few more things I have to look at."

I turned back to my tablet mentally preparing myself to handle perhaps another hour (if not more) of research-, when Chats black gloved reached over the screen pressing the lock button and the screen went blank.

"Hey!" I protested, shifting the device away from his hand. "I said I'm not done yet."

"Did anyone ever tell you you're a bad patient?" He asked leaning against my bed post.

"Did anyone ever tell you you're highly distracting?" I retorted.

"I'm told that's one of my finer qualities," he grinned, flipping his hair majestically to the side and giving me a playful wink. "That and my unparalleled charm."

"Yeah, cause you're such a charmer," I said sarcastically as I started up the homescreen. I didn't even have time to enter the password before he slid his arm over my head and snatched the entire device from me.

"Really!?" I shot my good arm out to snatch it back but he already held it out of reach.

I could feel my ears getting hot.

"You really shouldn't be pushing yourself so hard Marinette," he said, tucking the tablet behind his back.

"I will kick you out," I threatened.

"You'd miss me."

"Chat!" I balled my fingers into fists, my heartbeat thrumming quickly in my chest. "I'm being serious."

"So am I," he set the device on my computer desk, looking very serious indeed. "You're exhausted Mari, why not come back to this with a clear mind."

"Isn't there someone else you should be fawning over right now?"

"Looks like you've got me all to yourself," he winked.

I let out an exhausted breath, allowing my head to rest on my pillow giving my heart a chance to slow down. "Look, there's nothing for you to do here so you might as well let me finish my work and go home."

Chat observed me for a moment, then leaned against my desk with his arms crossed defiantly over his chest. "If you won't go to sleep, then I'm not going to sleep," he declared, turning his head around to examine my room.

"You can't just stay in my room all night," I pointed out.

"I'm sure there's something else I can do in here to keep me occupied," he shrugged, not seeming to be paying me much attention.

His eyes shifted from one surface to the next like he was searching for something.

I pursed my lips, just about to tell him it was a pointless effort, when he paused at something on my desk and his face lit up.

I shot my eyes to the area, afraid he'd stumbled upon a private item or more likely an embarrassing photo, but luckily I saw neither. He reached for something behind my computer monitor and pulled away holding one of my black gaming controllers in his hand.

"Care for a round of Mecha Strike III?" he asked, waving the controller in the air.

"You play Mecha Strike III?"

"All cool people do," he shrugged. "What do you say?"

"No thanks," I dismissed, not even bothering to reach for it. "However I think I'd like to have my tablet back now if you'd be so kind."

"What's the matter? Can't take a challenge?" He pressed.

"You do realise you're speaking to one of the Mecha Strike III official tournament winners right?"

"So what's the problem then, play a game with me."

"I'm not exactly in the mood to play games right now."

"Ah, alright, I understand," he bobbed his head up and down. "You're afraid of losing to a super cool superhero like myself."

"Pffft! As if!" I snorted.

"No no! It's okay," he leaning against the side of my desk again, seeming perfectly at ease. "There are few who aren't intimidated by my mad gaming skills. I'd be willing to go easy on you but if you still don't think you can handle it..."

"That's nice of you." The edge of my mouth twitched and I swiveled my head back to him. "But I'm not the one who would lose."

"Those are pretty big words," he smirked, offering up a controller. "Why don't you prove it?"

I glared between him and the controller as he wiggled his eyebrows to taunt me further. "If I win, do you promise you'll let me get back to work?"

"Cats honor," he pledged, putting a hand over his heart. "But if I win, you have to call it a night."

I shot my hand out for the controller, putting minimal effort in keep the smug grin off my face. "You're on."

* * *

_ Approximatley 30 Minutes Later _

"You cheated," I fumed, glaring a hole into the back of his head.

"Cheat? Me?" He flung a hand to his chest in feigned offense. "Never."

I narrowed my eyes at him dangerously.

I had had him. My mech had come at him too fast and I pinned him to the ground depleting half of his remaining life bar, not to mention dishing out an extra -10% in stun points for the next 5 seconds. I had just begun to press in the button combination to form the heavy attack maneuver that would end the game when suddenly-, Chat blew air into my ear.

I yelped in surprise, cringing away from the sensation as it sent an unpleasant shiver down my spine. It was so unexpected I nearly flung my remote across the room just trying to bring my hand to my ear, but instead the controller slipped off my lap landing loudly onto the floor, leaving me to watch in horror as he smashed my mech to pieces with his own finishing move, ending the game.

"Rematch." I demanded, crossing my arms defiantly. "Right here, right now."

"I would," he pursed his lips thoughtfully as he put the last of the equipment away. "But now I can say I beat the mech strike III tournament winner so... I think I'm happy to leave it at that."

"Because you cheated!"

"And even then, I barely got away with my life," he shook his head sadly. "Plus you never said I had to play fair, so..."

My eyes narrowed further. "The next time we play, I'm not letting you get away. You know that right?"

"I'll make sure to die honorably," he nodded seriously.

I did my best to continue glaring at him but I couldn't seem to keep a frown on my face. Eventually my lips twisted into a smile and a laughter bubbled out. My chest heaved in protest from the harsh action so I had to clamp down on my ribs to try and keep them from expanding too far.

"Ow, ow, ow," I gasped between breaths.

"Sorry, sorry," Chat apologize all the while, but I could help but notice him grinning from ear to ear. "That's the first time I've heard you really laugh in a while," he noted.

"Don't get too used to it," I huffed, slowly removing my hands from my abdomen. "It hurts way too much."

"Need some help?" He offered his hand.

"Please," I nodded.

He wrapped one arm around my back and the other under my knees, lifting me up to his chest with ease. His golden bell dangled in front of my face and as he walked to my bed I became acutely aware of the noise it made everytime he moved.

"Does your bell ever bother you?" I asked.

"My bell?" He tucked his chin in to look down at his chest.

"Yeah," I flicked the golden orb with my finger making a small 'ting-ing' sound. "Does it ever get annoying?"

"Actually I kinda like it," he shrugged. "Plus once you used to it, you typically forget it's there."

"Like a true cat," I huffed, holding onto the back of his neck as he lowered me into the mattress, and my headache lessened ever so slightly once I was laying on the pillow.

"Of course," he grinned, pulling the covers over my body.

"Um, it's okay," I grabbed the blanket out of his hands. "I don't need you to tuck me in."

"Oh! Y-yeah," he let go of the covers promptly, looking away bashfully. "Sorry."

"It's fine," I said, looking away a bit bashfully myself. "Nice of you for offering."

"Anytime," he rubbed the back of his neck as he backed away. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah," I nodded. "See you then."

"Goodnight Marinette," he flashed me one last grin placing his hand over the light switch.

"Goodnight Chat," I called back, and the room went dark leaving only a faint trace of his silhouette as he leapt out my balcony.

I waited in the silence to be certain he had really gone. When my eyes finally adjusted to the dark I searched around for my tablet, only to find it still leaning against my desk... placed as far away from me as it could possibly be.

I cursed Chat's name and begrudgingly pulled my blankets over my head to go to sleep.


	14. Company

Chapter 14: Company

~Marinette's P.O.V~

Over the next few days, news about lucky charm repairing damage around the city spread like wildfire. Several television stations celebrated my return throughout all of France, but the celebrations were short lived as many other stations still criticized me for having disappeared in the first place.

New theories popped up everyday to explain my absence, the 'better' theories suggested I'd taken a vacation from superhero work, or briefly gone in hiding, while the worse ones chastising me on television for not taking my position seriously and announced how they would do a better job if they were in my position. One reporter even went so far as to call me a 'disgraceful hero' that was unnecessarily placing peoples lives at risk.

Tikki told me not to pay any of it any mind, but every time I watched the news or caught up on the latest Ladybug conspiracy, I couldn't help but focus on it completely.

I didn't like most of what I saw but at the same time, I didn't like the idea of not knowing what they were saying about me. And so, everytime something came on regardless if I'd already heard the often false accusations or not, I'd keep watching until like clockwork-, my heart rate would skyrocket and I'd have to stop whatever I was doing to catch my breath again.

Tikki didn't let me watch the news anymore when she realised these events were connected.

School announced classes would resume at the beginning of the week but at my current rate of recovery, it didn't look like I would be attending any time soon. Alya seemed as upset as I was, but she didn't say anything other than promise me she would stop by my house everyday to visit and keep me updated on homework so it be like I wasn't missing anything at all, which did make me feel a little better.

Adding to my list of visitors, Chat Noir made a habit of stopping by my house every evening to inform me of his progress and even help me with research. His help was invaluable. Not only did I get things done quicker with his input, but he always managed to brighten the mood when I got too stressed, or sometimes, when I was just in too much pain to focus.

Chat seemed to have an uncanny sense for when I didn't feel well, though I always did my best to hide it from him and everyone else, so I had to be as careful with my tell tale signs with him as I did with my parents.

Whenever I showed even the slightest sign of fatigue, he would suggest we take a break for a while; and by 'suggest,' I actually mean force me into taking a break from my research, as he would take away whatever I was working on if I refused.

This would lead into our typical argument, I would call him a thief, then he would insist he hadn't the slightest idea of what I was talking about, then I'd demand he give my things back, and he'd simply suggest we relax until my things 'turned up again'.

I complained to Tikki about this whenever he wasn't around, but I got absolutely no sympathy as she seemed to find it as amusing as he did.

I told Chat Noir on numerous occasions that if he kept taking my stuff away I would kick him out... but I couldn't actually bring myself to do it. He laughed at my hot headed tendencies and diffuse my foul mood without even trying. It was easy to get lost in conversation with him-, though it did not escape my attention how often he tried to get me to talk about Ladybug.

I think he understood how much any halt in our progress made me antsy, so after we took what he considered to be a reasonable break, he would give back my devices and continue to help me with whatever I needed.

Though I'd never admit it to him for fear of inflating his already enormous ego, I enjoyed his company.

I had Tikki as well as my parents around all the time so I never felt lonely, but being around Chat Noir was different. He was someone I could really talk to, someone who understood the pressure I was under.

By the time Chat Noir stopped by that evening I had already spent the better part of my day on a lead that turned out to be another dead end.

Chat must have realized how frustrated I was because when he stopped by after his patrol, he immediately recommended we take a break. Knowing he would probably force me to stop if I said no, I agreed and turned on some music from Jagged Stone that I found out we both liked.

This occupied us for a while. He sat quietly in my computer chair tapping his foot to the beat and I closed my eyes letting my head rest on my pillow until my headache finally dissipated.

"You need a hobby," Chat said, causing me to stir from my trance.

I peered over at him to find him swishing his tail in his hand while looking calmly out the window to pass the time.

"I have plenty of hobbies," I disagreed.

"Apparently you need a better one."

"Funny, I think I know a certain cat that has too much time on his hands," I gave him a pointed look.

"I'll have you know, I'm purrr-fectly capable of occupying myself."

"Which is why you choose to spend your evenings with me," I remarked.

"I can't help it," he winked. "You're too much fun."

"You're such a child," I rolled my eyes.

"At least I know how to have fun," he laughed, spinning to face me in his chair. "I mean, what do you usually do when you're not bedridden or caught up in superhero work. What would you be doing right now?"

"Who knows, lots of things," I shrugged.

"Humour me," he motioned for me to continue.

I let out an exasperated sigh as I looked up at my ceiling. "I don't know, probably helping my parents in the bakery, or maybe doing something outside... But actually it's terrible weather, so I'd probably be up here practicing designs or doing in homework or hanging out with my... my friends..." my voice died down as I got toward the end. "I used to do a lot of stuff," I muttered thinking back to what had been only a short time ago.

How long _had_ it been since I'd seen to my friends? Or done any of my normal activities? Usually I wouldn't go even a day without doing at least one of these things and now... I didn't even know how long it would be before I could-, or would be able to do any of them again.

"It must be hard for you to be so inactive," Chat commented, I caught a note of sympathy in his voice.

"... A little," I admitted letting my eyes drift to the window. "Honestly I can't believe visiting me hasn't made you go crazy from sheer boredom."

"Hey! I meant it when I said you were fun." He sat up straighter in his chair. "And believe it or not, this is a lot more exciting than being at my house."

"Really," I cocked my brow skeptically. "Even if that's true-, which I doubt-, don't you at least miss spending time with your family?"

Chat observed my face quietly then turned away from me to face the wall. The drastic drop in his mood was obvious.

"My father works a lot so it's usually just me."

"What about your Mother?"

Again what I thought had been a harmless question came to him with difficulty.

"I haven't spoken to her in a long time," he answered simply.

"Oh..." I said lamely, setting my hands in my lap. "That sounds.. lonely."

"I'm used to it," he shrugged. "Besides, I've been lucky enough to hang out with you lately so... I don't really mind," he rubbed the back of his neck, meeting my gaze with a small grin. "Coming to see you is probably the best thing I do all day."

My heart swelled with an unexpected surge of emotion, then without thinking I reached my hand out to grab hold onto his.

"You know you're always welcome to come here if you want to, right?"

He glanced down at our hands made contact, and his eyes widened ever so slightly.

My cheeks heated up as I realised what I was doing and I snatched my hand away, trying to play it off casually by clasped my hands in my lap while making a conscious effort to calm my heart down again.

"T-thanks Marinette," he chuckled nervously, but his smile seemed a little brighter. "I'm lucky to have a friend like you."

"Me too," I smiled, looking away bashfully. "I mean, if you weren't stopping by all the time I'd probably gone crazy by now."

"Yeah, being stuck in your room can get pretty boring," he nodded, as if he was talking from experience. "When do the doctors think you'll be able to get to your normal schedule?"

"They don't think I'll be able to go back to school for at least another three weeks," I groaned, not bothering to hide my annoyance. "But they did say I could start walking around this week if I felt well enough so.. that's something at least."

"That's fantastic!" He very nearly leapt to his feet. "Have you tried yet?"

"I haven't yet," I shook my head. "I'm only allowed to if I'm being supervised."

"I think I can manage that," he announced, straightening his posture and placing one arm behind his back giving me a low bow. "May I have this honor?" He asked, presented his hand to me in an elegant motion.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"You're so dramatic," I rolled my eyes.

"That's part of the charm," he peeked up, giving me a playful wink.

I smirked, setting my hand in his. "I suppose it is."

I pulled the covers back, sliding my bare feet onto the smooth floor. Chat pulled against my arm carefully to help me off the bed, but he mostly let me do it on my own which I was grateful for.

Once my heart settled I took a hesitant step forward waiting for my heart rate to rise or my legs to give out, but neither happened. I took another step away from my bed, then another, and another. I held on to Chats hands tightly just incase I needed his support, but after taking a few steps without falling over, I began to relax.

When I was confident I wouldn't fall, I let go of his hand all together and strode to the center of my room on my own.

I rotated my muscles in a gentle motion, slowly raising my arms over my head and stretching my legs in every which way. I managed to get a decent stretch for most of my body. All except for the areas around my fractured ribs and shoulder wound, which sent a horrible shock of pain if I made the slightest move in the wrong direction.

"You have no idea how great this feels," I said, lowering myself to the ground until I gently pulled my legs into the splits.

"I never knew you were so flexible," Chat praised, watching me curiously.

"I didn't know if I still would be since I haven't been able to move around much," I said slowly getting back to my feet.

I yawned pulling my arms above my head while I twirled around in mid stretch to look back at him... when I noticed the pained look on his face.

I looked down trying to find the source of his reaction-, realizing his eyes were glued to my exposed stomach, where the discolored veiny burn that stretched around my waist like jagged lightning was in clear view.

I automatically threw my arms down to my sides letting my shirt cover the burn once more and Chat managed to tear his eyes away, leaving an uncomfortable pause.

"... Does... it still hurt?" He asked eventually, no longer looking in my general direction.

"Not anymore really," I brushed off, unable to help myself from crossing my arms in front of the area. "So long as I don't put any weight on it and remember to apply the numbing cream it's not so bad."

"Will it ever-"

"Hey!" I said, placing my hand on his shoulder to give him a playful shove. "Why don't we do something more fun?"

His lips lifted into a tiny smirk, but the expression didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Like what?" He asked, thankfully allowing the change in conversation.

"Well.." I thought aloud as my gaze drifted to the window.

The glass was partly fogged and the dim light suggested it was cold, but still I was captivated.

"Let's go outside," I said turning back.

"Outside?" He cast a wary glance out the window. "But it's raining."

"That hasn't stopped you," I pointed out.

"That's because I'm special," he shrugged.

"Uh-huh," I couldn't help but smirk. "And what exactly makes you so special?"

"My special suit."

I let out a wheezy laugh. "Well I happen to have a super special umbrella, so I think that makes us just about even in this case."

He grinned, but the smile left his face as soon as he looked back outside. "I don't know Marinette, is it okay for you to go outside?"

"It'll be fine," I assured him. "So long as you carry me up the ladder."

"See, that leads me to believe you shouldn't be doing this," he laughed, giving me a serious look. "Should you be doing this?"

"Well... -"

"I'll take that as a no," he interjected.

"Oh come on, please!" I pleaded, clasping my hands together. "I haven't left my house in weeks and going crazy in here. It wouldn't be a big deal if we went out for just a little while." I batted my lashes rapidly to feign innocence, but I'm sure it looked more like I was faking a stroke.

"Alass!" He placed a hand over his head dramatically, catching onto the act. "The princess has overpowered me with her puppy eyes. How can I say no to those puppy eyes?"

"You can't," I shook my head and he laughed again in response.

"I don't know who's more difficult, you or Ladybug," he shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "Such handfuls the two of you."

"That is definitely the other way around," I snorted. "Now stop trying to change the subject."

"Nothing gets past you does it?"

"Chat."

"Alright-alright," he held up a hand in defeat. "But only for a little while."

"That's all I ask," I grinned, my heart thumped with excitement.

Finding my shoes wasn't a problem. Bending down to put them on my feet however, was a difficulty that I had not accounted for. Leaning over exacerbated the burned skin across my stomach which I could ignore, but the strain on my ribs and lungs was far more prominent and I had to take short raspy breaths to keep from expanding them too far in the awkward bend.

I thought I developed a good enough method to get past the pain and put on the shoes, when halfway into the process I felt the blood rush from my head.

I rocked upward unsteadily and grip the counter for balance as I was overcome with a fit of coughing. Chat appeared by my side setting a hand on my shoulder to steady me.

"You okay?" He asked.

I held out a finger telling him to give me a second, then I snatched a tissue from the desk as another set of increasingly violent coughs tore out.

When the worst of the fit subsided and I was able to catch my breath I noticed that my mouth had a strange metallic tange. I pulled my hand just a few inches away from my face to look into the tissue-, and my breath hitched. Looking down at the tissue, I found the white surface was covered with dark splotches of red.

It was blood... my blood.

First disbelief, then shock and fear all shot through me so fast I had a hard time processing the jumble of emotion. I gripped the corner of the desk to keep from slumping down into the chair and simply gaped at my hand.

"Is something wrong?" Chat asked, making me jump as I remembered he was right beside me.

"N-nothing!" I blurted, balling the tissue in my shaky fist and quickly shoving it behind my back and into my pocket. "Just.. needed a moment to catch my breath," I lied, forcing a smile that may have been a bit too enthusiastic.

He observed my face carefully, obviously unsure if my answer. I flicked my eyes to side catching a glimpse of Tikki as she shot me a worried look as well from her hiding spot amongst some of my sewing supplies.

"Maybe we should hold off on going out for today," he suggested cautiously.

"What? No, that would be silly. I'm fine, I'm good to go," I insisted pulling on his arm this time as I slipped on my other shoe, and promptly grabbed my umbrella laying against the wall.

"See, I'm all ready," I affirmed, presenting myself as what I hoped looked like casual confidence.

I couldn't quite stop my hand from shaking, so I gripped it tightly on the the umbrella to steady it.

Chat stared at me indecisively and I bit my lip, wondering if he somehow knew, if he saw through me. For a moment I thought he was going to outright refuse right there, but then he surprise me by throwing a warm blanket over my shoulders.

"Now you're ready," he confirmed, then before I could say thank you he scooped me into his arms and leapt to the balcony in a single bound.

* * *

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Authors note:

Thanks to all who have read this far and left a fabulous comment to show me your support 3. Ya'll a bunch of sweethearts ^~^

Make sure you stay tuned to find out what happens next week, and don't forget to follow and favorite the story if you liked it!

~Snowfall


	15. The Fight

Chapter 15: The Fight

~Marinette's P.O.V~

As soon as we made it out into the chilly air I opened my umbrella to shield us against the light splatter of rain. Chat set me steadily on the ground and I staggered for a moment from the sudden movement.

A burst of cold air picked up around us blowing my hair in my face and making me shiver. I wasted no time gathering the blanket around my shoulders, grateful he had thought of it.

"Feeling alright?" Chat asked, still observing me tentatively.

"Fine," I lied, truthfully feeling a bit woozy.

I set a hand on the small wooden tea table nonchalantly using it to balance myself when my finger brushed something out of the way. Glancing down, I found my finger was nudging one of my sketchbooks to the edge of the table.

"Oh no!" I realised, snatching the book up in my hands.

"What?" Chat straightened in alarm, peeking over my shoulder.

"Nothing serious, it's just my sketchbook," I groaned flipping through the pages for water damage.

"Oh," he relaxed again. "What's it doing outside?"

"It's one of my older ones, I must have left it up here the other week," I explained, completely at a loss at how I could have forgotten something so important.

"It seems to look okay for being up here for so long."

"So far... I think you're right," I let out a sigh of relief as I rubbed my finger over the last page. "I don't think it even got wet."

"I'm always right," He winked jokingly, hold his hand out to me. "Mind if I look through it?"

"Sure," I rolled my eyes, passing it to him. "Just don't let me forget to bring it in this time."

"I'll do my best," he grinned, tucking it under his arm he walked with me to the edge of my railing.

Instead of huddling under the umbrella for shelter like I'd expected him to, Chat placed himself inconveniently at the edge of the umbrella where I was sure it was harder to stay dry.

I slid closer to him, pressing myself into his side so we were standing shoulder to shoulder. I couldn't tell if he felt cold, but going the extra step I shrugged my blanket off one of my shoulders and draped it across his back to share some heat. A chill crept up my spine as another gust of wind blew up my shirt and I leaned further into his side to get shelter from the wind.

I hadn't realized Chat was tense until he relaxed his shoulders and allowed himself to lean into me as well.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but it must have been a while. Chat flipped through my designs page by page to examine the sketches. Every now and again he'd flip to a page, ask me about the design and what inspired me to draw it, nod approvingly then flip to the next while I went back to watching what little of the city I could see through the mist.

Though Chat managed to shield me from the most of the cold bursts of wind, but it didn't stop the chill from seeping into my fingers and toes. Though I was uncomfortable, I didn't say anything because I knew he would insisted we go back inside.

The fresh air helped clear my head, it helped me think. I liked feeling the wind on my face and letting it blow through my hair. I enjoyed the smell of the rain and how it made the city look more dramatic, more beautiful. And I liked how it all somehow reminded me what it was like being Ladybug...

I missed being active in general and hanging out with my friends and doing other mundane tasks, but in that moment, I especially missed my alter ego. The other part of me that was strong and brave… and that everyone else loved too. Looking over the city reminded me a little of what that felt like. Of the time when I could run around the rooftops without breaking a sweat, or take down Hawk Moths villains with ease… when there were no coughing fits, or checkups to worry about.

I grimaced thinking back on my earlier fit.

I knew I would have to tell one of the nurses on my next check up in the morning what happened, but surely it would be a false alarm, nothing severe….

It had to be.

"What are you thinking about?" Chat asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"A lot of things," I admitted.

"That explains why you looked stressed," he laughed, looking up from a quick sketch of hats and feathers I'd drawn months earlier. "You should learn to relax more, like me," he joked.

"I'm sure you'd give great tips," I replied with a smirk, feeling my thoughts begin to wander again.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Chat asked out of nowhere, and I flung my head to gawk at him.

"Huh?" I asked brilliantly.

"You know, is there someone you're interested in?" He asked again like we were discussing something as casual as the weather.

"W-where exactly is this coming from?"

"I was just thinking that if you had a someone special in your life, maybe you'd take it easy on yourself. Besides, I bet you if you focused on someone as intently as you do everything else, you'd have the man of your dreams by now."

"Ha!" I shook my head. "I wish."

"So there is someone," he raised an eyebrow, giving me a sly grin as he leaned into the rail with sudden interest.

"There might be," I shot him a sideways glance. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Oh come on, you can't _not_ tell me about the guy who meets your standards. They might not be as cool as me of course, but who is?"

"Yes, because who could possibly be more charming than you?" I said sarcastically.

"My thoughts exactly," he nodded.

I laughed.

"Well I hate to burst your bubble, but the guy I like just so happens to be the most charming person I've ever met."

"Is that so?" His eyebrows rose.

"Yeah," I sighed contentedly, feeling warmth spread into my cheeks and I pressed my hands against them. "He's so awesome."

Chat observed my face, but didn't say anything for a moment.

"Have you ever thought of telling him this?" He asked eventually.

"Well of course..." I paused mid sentence, and my shoulders slumped. "But everytime I try to talk to him I just end up making a complete fool out myself."

"Pfft, really?" Amusement tinged his voice. "He makes you that nervous?"

"I-it's not my fault!" I threw him a pointed look. "He's just so-, so.. Perfect! I forget how to function when he's around."

Chat titled his head back and burst into broad laughter. "I'll bet prince charming is super handsome too."

"...He is," I admitted leaning heavily onto the railing. "But I've always liked him for more than that. He's super smart, and talented, and he's nice to everyone even... Chloe," I spoke her name with obvious distaste.

"Wow, you think really highly of this guy," he looked off in the distance seeming lost in thought. "He must be really important to you."

His voice got quieter than normal and from the corner of my eye I could have sworn I saw his ears droop. If I hadn't known any better I would have thought he seemed disappointed.

"Yeah, he is," I sighed. "I just wish I could tell him that without sounding like a total idiot."

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem," Chat gave me a small nudge. "Maybe if you got to know him better maybe he wouldn't make you so nervous."

"It's hard to get to know someone better when everytime I'm around them I can't make a coherent sentence," I pointed out.

"Fair enough, but if you have a hard time talking to him, what if you tried communicating through something else you like to do? Like designing?" He suggested. "That could get his attention and you like making things so it's a win win."

"Tried that too," I sighed, resting my chin on my hand. "It hasn't worked either."

"What?" He snapped his around. "What do you mean it hasn't worked?"

"I make stuff for him all the time but... he never actually finds out they're from me…" I tapped my fingers together nervously.

"What!?" He repeated, scrunching his eyebrows together. "How could he not know? Are you sure he's getting them?"

"He does get them.. it's just something always goes wrong when he does," I set my elbow on the railing. "See there was this one time I wanted to give him a present that I made for him at school but I wasn't able to because Chloe got in the way-, so instead I tried mailing it too him but then I forgot to write down my name on the package so then I went to this party he was having and I found the package and I put a note on it that said it was from me but something must have happened to it and now he thinks he got it from someone else," I blurted out in one nearly incoherent sentence, slumping my head on my arms.

"He doesn't even notice me," I groaned.

"Wow Mari... that's.." he paused as if searching for the right word. "That's pretty rough."

"It sucks," I mumbled, head still buried in my arms.

"I… I know what that feels like to not having your feelings returned." Chat said slowly, seeming to chose his words with care. "But even if that's the case with this guy... just knowing the kind of person you are and what you've been doing for him, I find it hard to believe he doesn't notice you."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," I lifted my head up with a sigh. "He hasn't even tried to see me since I got out of the hospital."

Chat opened his mouth to speak, then let it close, turing his gaze down as he fiddled with the sketchbook in his hands. "Is one of the designs in here?"

"Hm?" I shifted my head to the side.

"The things you've made for him, are any of the designs in here?" He asked again holding my sketchbook out to me.

"Probably," I shrugged grabbing ahold of it and flipping through the pages. "It doesn't make much of a difference though, I won't be able to show it to him anyway."

"Why not? It's the perfect plan," he insisted. "If you don't think he'll believe you, all you have to do is show him the sketch and he'll have proof that you were the one who made it for him in the first pla-"

His words cut off when I retract my hand revealing the right drawing.

The edges were made up a bunch of scratchy pencil lines, but I'd made up for the general messiness of the sketch when I went over it again in color. All in all, it was the closest rendering I could have drawn of the sky blue scarf I'd made for Adrien's birthday several months prior.

It was nothing special but the way Chat stared at it made him look so caught off guard, I bet if I'd poked him he would have fallen over.

"It's.. the first thing I made for him," I explained to him when he continued staring at the page. "I tried giving it to him on his birthday but... I guess the names must have gotten mixed up. When he wore it to school the next day he told everyone it was a present from his father."

"You… you made this?" He asked slowly still running his eye over the sketch.

"Well it's not that impressive," I muttered, but he didn't seem to hear.

He slid his hand across the page and stopped at the bottom corner where it rested on my signature. "Why didn't you tell him it was from you?" He asked in a low voice.

"He seemed so happy to have a gift from his father," I shook my head. "I didn't want to take that away from him."

He took his eyes off the page to look at me with an expression that was somewhere between wonder and.. utter disappointment.

I flicked my eyes over his face curiously, trying to understand what I saw. Just as I was about to ask why he was staring at me-, I noticed my sketchbook sliding through his fingers.

"Chat!" I panicked, snatching my arm out to catch it, but the movement was too sudden causing my to jerk back from the pain. Luckily he snapped out of his daze and managed to grasp the corner before it fell over the railing.

Relief swept over me and I carefully snatched the book from his hands in case he should drop it again. "What was that about?" I demanded, again turning it over to check for damage.

He took a sizable step away from me, exiting the cover of the umbrella and letting the blanket fall off his shoulder where it slumped down to my side. When I looked up at him, all traces of enthusiasm had disappeared from his face.

"Seriously what is it?" I asked again, shifting my weight on the railing to better face him. "You're acting really-"

"You…" He interrupted, his eyes darted from my sketchbook, to the umbrella over our heads and then back on my face. "You love Adrien."

The blood rushed my face and I couldn't help but take a step back from him as well.

He didn't say it like some name he'd randomly guessed, he didn't phrase it as a question, he was making a statement. What I couldn't figure out is what had brought him to that conclusion.

"H-he was the reason you went back in the school, wasn't he," Chat said in a strained voice.

"How?" I shook my head, still in shock at the sudden turn in conversation. "How could you?-"

His hand clenched at his side, and he threw his head up, looking me directly in the eye. "Is he the reason you went back in there!" He lashed out unexpectedly.

Taken aback, I simply gawked at him as if he had sprouted a third eye.

I waited a moment, expecting him to apologize or at the very least explain himself, but nothing on his face suggested he felt even slightly apologetic.

"What does it matter?" I asked, still searching his face for an answer. "Everything worked out in the end. I got out just fine and you even saved Adri-"

"You almost died!" He threw his hands in the air. "Not to mention that Professor Bolt got away. Is Adrien all that matters to you!?"

"Adrien was not the only reason I had for going back in there!" I argued back. "A lot more was at stake. And even if he was why would that matter to you?"

His jaw clenched and he shook his head flinging water around. "You're always rushing into things because you think you can help, but did you ever stop and think that none of this would have happened if you'd stayed out of the way and let me handle the situation?"

I narrowed my eyes, feeling my temper rising and my heart pounded uncomfortably with it.

"If I'd stayed out of the way?" I rose my brow incredulously. "I might not remember much of what happened, but I do know that what I did for you is exactly wha-"

"What Ladybug would have done?" He scoffed. "If Ladybug had been there none of this would have happened, an akuma wouldn't be running around Paris doing who knows what, and we wouldn't be in this situation!" He got louder as he spoke. "If you'd left when I told you, I wouldn't have needed your help in the first place!"

"If you hadn't stopped me, we wouldn't be in this situation either!" I said raising my voice as well.

"Did you expect me to just leave you there?"

"It wasn't up to you," I snapped. "I knew what I was doing and it was my risk to take. Who I put my life on the line for is completely my decision, and none of your business."

"It is when it's me you ended up risking your life for!" He slammed his fist down on the railing so hard it shook, making me jump.

My heartbeat was thrumming so fast my whole chest ached from the effort. My knees were so weak it felt like they might give out from under me any moment. I forced myself to take steady breaths but it didn't seem to help, the rhythm showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon. I gripped my hand over the railing as nonchalantly as possible to steady myself as I started getting light headed.

"I was just trying to help," I said in a low voice, trying to keep my voice even.

"I never wanted your help Marinette!" Chat yelled. "You're not Ladybug, and you never will be. Stop trying to replace her!"

The words in my mouth died almost instantly as his reply shut me up faster than either of us had probably expected.

Dead silence fell between us.

Chat Noir blinked in surprise, like he was taken aback by the severity of his own words too. He opened his mouth like he was going to retract what he said… but it was too late for him to change his words, and I think he realized that too.

The silence drew on as the pitter-patter of rain turned to white noise around us, and the cold nip in the air seemed to finally seep into my very core.

"Sorry I'm not as good as her," I said in a tight voice.

He winced. "T-that's not…" he raised his hand towards me. "I didn't mean-"

"You should go," I turned away, positioned the umbrella between us.

I didn't wait for him to respond before I started walking for my room.

"Mari please," he pleaded, splashing quickly through the puddles as he dashed in front of me. "I... at least.. let me take you back inside-," he reached out for my arm but I slapped his hand away in one swift motion.

"I don't want your help either," I finalized, brushing past him again.

This time he didn't try to stop me.

I bit my lip trying to hold in the tears that threatened to overflow at any moment, fighting to keep them in until he left, or until I could make it to the solitary safety of my room, whichever came first. The pain in my chest seemed to intensify and I held my sketchbook to my heart as if I could contain the pain, but the crushing pressure continued regardless... and reflecting on his words only seemed to add to it.

I made maybe two steps closer to the entrance -, when my heart faltered.

The blood rushed from my head so fast my vision blotched into dark spots and I staggered back trying to regain the balance.

' _Oh please not now,'_ I begged, sucking in quick shallow breaths.

"Marinette?" Chats voice registered in my mind like it was coming from somewhere far away.

I reached out for my small table to support myself, but my limbs seemed to lose all their strength and I fell into the side knocking the table over and sending its contents to the floor with a loud crash. I followed after, my head hit the ground with a hard thunk and I lost consciousness.

* * *

I was still on the floor when I opened my eyes again.

There were blurry shapes around me, I knew I was looking up into the dripping sky but it took a few moments until Chat's face came into focus. His lips were moving quickly so I knew he was saying something, but I couldn't make sense of the words.

One of his hands supported my back, and his other went underneath my head to help me to look up at him. The panic in his features was obvious.

"Marinette!" He exclaimed, only this time I was able to understand. "What is it? What's wrong?"

My heart was still hammering in my chest. I tried to explain to him what was happening but as soon as I expanded my lungs, a wall of pain slammed into me and I choked on the words, clawing at my chest.

He pried my fingers off my chest and pressed the side of his head against my heart. Judging by the look on his face, I was sure it wasn't good.

The next thing I knew Chat was carrying me in his arms. He spun us around, dashing to the balcony opening and leaping back into the dry warmth of my bed room within seconds. He landed with a rather loud thump and made straight for my bed.

"You're gonna be okay," he told me, laying me on top of my sheets and resting my head against my pillow though I was soaking wet. "I'm going to get help so just hold on."

He began to lift away, but before he could release his grip I shot my arm out and clutched onto him as best I could.

"D-don't.." I gasped for air like a fish out of water. "C-can't... let them.. see you."

He looked grimly at the spot my hand gripped his own. "That's not what matters anymore," he shook his head, breaking out of my grasp easily.

"The v-vase," I tried again, nodding my chin to the corner of my room.

The corners of my vision started botching out again and I had to suck in a few breaths to steady myself before I could continue.

"Break.. the vase."

He flung his head to the general direction I nodded, and his eyes landed on the elegant white orchid I'd gotten from my stay in the hospital. He barely looked at it for a full second before understanding flashed through his eyes. Striding forward, he scooped the plant into his hand and thrusting it to the ground, an explosion of pottery and soil spread across the floor that resonated loudly throughout the room.

There was a moment of silence, then the echo of footsteps thumped up from the floor below.

"Marinette!?" My mother's worried voice carried up from the flower below.

I didn't dare try to respond.

Knowing people would be in my room at any moment, I expected Chat to turn tail and run (literally), but instead of rushing for an exit he hovered by the broken vase as if rooted to the spot as if he were unsure of what he should do.

"Marinette I'm…" he faltered, seeming at a loss for words. "I'm so sorr-,"

"J-just go," I spluttered, gripping my hand over my heart as I turned my head away from him. "Go away."

I don't know when he left, I didn't hear the hinge of my window creak or the slam of my balcony door, but when I opened my eyes again Chat Noir was gone and my mother was by my side.


	16. Realizations

Chapter 16: Realizations

~Adrien's P.O.V~

I didn't get much sleep that night.

When the first rays of the sun entered my room I gave up on sleep all together and took a shower to get warm and clear my head, staring numbly at the tiles on the floor all the while.

It was like my mind was stuck on replay. I couldn't help but go over everything that happened that evening from the moment I discovered her feelings for me, to the stupid argument I never should have started and then finally... when I realised I'd gone to far.

Reaching for the handle, I turned off the shower and headed for a dry towel in an attempt to busy myself again.

I wasn't lying when I said I wished she hadn't involved herself, but getting angry at her after all she had done was unacceptable. Telling her she made everything worse was not only wrong of me, but it simply wasn't true. I almost couldn't believe I lashed out at her the way I did.

Sure I was surprised that Marinette had feelings for me, and surprised by the incredible lengths she'd gone just to make me happy… but I wasn't angry at her. Not at her.

I was angry at Hawk Moth and Professor Bolt for what they had done, I was angry at Ladybug for not being there when I needed her, and I felt a fleeting anger towards my father for forgetting my birthday once again, but they weren't the root of the emotions either. No, the person I was most angry with, was myself, as it was more my fault that she got involved in this than I realised. But in the end, I took my feelings out on Marinette.

I think a part of me had expected that she was going to stand up for herself, or that she was too self assured to be affected by my words... but it took just one look at her face to know she had taken my words to heart. Perhaps literally.

Plagg was awake when I emerged from the shower but I was still too absorbed in my thoughts to pay him much attention. I walked back and forth aimlessly, giving him half hearted responses at best.

After what must have been several failed attempts to get my attention he finally snapped and zoomed directly in my face so I had no choice but to look at him.

"Adrien!" He yelled in my face, pulling at ends of my bangs. "Stop ignoring me!"

"Plagg!" I staggered back leaning my head away from him. "Get out of my face," I muttered, swatting him away.

"Finally!" He exclaimed, letting the strands go. "You're like a zombie when you space out, you know that right?"

"I can't help it," I slid my hand lazily against the side of my piano. "I've got a lot I need to think about."

"If you're so worried about her, just go see her."

"She doesn't want to see me," I ran a hand through my hair, pushing away from the piano. "If I were her, I wouldn't want to see me either."

"I don't see the big deal here," Plagg crossed his arms impatiently. "All you have to do is drop by and.. I dunno, give her a nice slice of camembert or something. How long can you two love birds stay mad at each other anyway?"

"W-we're not lovebirds!" My cheeks flushed, and I looked away.

"Uh-huh, right," he muttered. "So when are you planning on seeing her?"

"I'm not seeing her," I slumped heavily down onto my sofa. "She and Chat Noir aren't exactly on speaking terms."

"You might not be ready to see her as Chat Noir but I don't see why Adrien would be a problem. She wanted you to visit anyway didn't she?"

"Plagg, it's not-" I paused mid sentence as his words hit me. "Wait.." I sat upright. "You might actually have a point."

"Well of course, cheese makes up for everything."

"Not the cheese," I sighed. "About seeing her as Adrien."

"Oh..." he said flatly.

"Why didn't I think of it sooner!" I shot to my feet. "It's the perfect plan."

"Yeah, I'm a genius," he yawned, rolling lazily onto his back. "Just remember to buy me some more camembert if you're planning on getting her some."

"Plagg, nobody wants your stinking cheese."

"Oh contraire!" He shot up with a sudden rush of energy, zipping away only to return seconds later holding a particularly pungent piece of camembert in my face. "Just one whiff of this fine delicacy is enough to make anyone's mouth water," he said, stroking the slice affectionately.

Making a face and covered my nose to block out the horrible scent. "More like your eyes," I wheezed, pushing him away.

"Your loss," he shrugged, then opened his mouth as wide as it could go, crammed the whole piece inside. "If she du n't forguve you, dn't cm cryin to meh," he barely managed to say through his mouthful.

"Thanks," I muttered sarcastically.

I didn't wait for him to finish chewing before I shoved him into the compartment of my jacket.

* * *

I not only got permission from my father to visit Marinette, but I managed to convince my bodyguard to stop by a nearby flower store on our way to her house. I tried to find something that could replace the white orchid I had surely killed in her room, but the small shop didn't have any on hand. I felt brief disappointment, but I also decided it might have been for the best. It would have been a bit suspicious if I were to show up to her house with the exact flower I'd broken as Chat Noir.

I made another round through the store trying to find some other flowers he might like instead, when a rather stunning bouquet of light pink peonies caught my eye.

The bouquet looked healthy, the thick beautiful petals gave off a pleasant aroma, and they were the same shade of pink as much of the decor in Marinettes bedroom. Looking at them reminded me of her, so without another thought I grabbed the bouquet.

I walked back to the car feeling lighter than I had in awhile as we drove the rest of the way to her house, but still anxious. The gorilla found a place to park on the street and I strolled to the front of the bakery to say hello to her parents. I shifted the vase of peonies to my side as I reached for the handle-,when I first noticed the closed sign hanging inside the window.

I took my hand away from the door, peering inside in the hopes I would catch a glimpse of her parents in the back, but the bakery was empty.

"That's odd," I muttered.

"Maybe they're not here," Plagg zoomed out of my jacket to peek inside.

I didn't say anything as I moved to the side of their family shop to the outer door of their residence. I peeked my head in the door and called up the hallway to announce my presence.

"Hello?" I called.

There was no response.

"Well, we tried. Better luck next time," Plagg turned to leave.

"They're probably just inside Plagg," I grabbed him as I stepped into the hallway.

At first only the creaking if the wood could be heard, but the farther I walked up the stairs the more clearly I could begin to make out the sound of multiple people talking, which gave me a sense of relief.

When I got close enough to their front door I raised my hand to knock-, when I caught word of the conversation happening just on the other side.

At first it was just a strain of murmurs, but my ears adjusted to the volume and I was able to make out each word clearly.

"How can she have taken a turn for the worst so quickly," a man that I assumed was Marinette's father spoke. "She hasn't been doing any strenuous activities, she goes to sleep early every night, and before yesterday's incident she hadn't so much as left her bed without someone there to help her."

Plagg and I shot each other a look, then I lowered my hand as we leaned in closer to the door.

"Her body's been in a delicate state since the accident, it wouldn't have taken much for her to go into cardiogenic shock," said a woman whose voice I didn't recognise. "She could have been triggered by external stressors or lack of rest, but based on the severity of last night's events, I would say an episode like this has been building up for a while."

I pressed my ear right up against the door and angled my head ever so slightly to peek into the cracks, just barely able to make out the general shapes. I assumed the figure in what looked to be a white lab coat was Marinette's doctor.

"What do you suggest we do?" Mrs. Dupain-Cheng asked, shooting her husband a worried glance.

"Just basic things really, your daughter hasn't been taking her medication which could be part of the reason she isn't recovering as we hope," the doctor explained. "From this point onward we need to make sure she stays on her fluids and gets plenty of rest. Besides that, there's nothing more we can do," she shook her head softly. "If her heart continues to have trouble stabilizing and we can't pinpoint the cause of strain on her body and isolate it… the damage it's caused may be irreversible."

The room went silent, making the atmosphere even more grim.

"I'll give her one more week to let the medication kick in," she continued. "Give her body a chance to heal itself."

"And if she doesn't heal by herself?" Mrs. Dupain-Cheng asked in a voice that was barely audible.

Again, a certain heaviness settled over the room.

"...If her vital signs don't start improving... there might not be anything more we can do," the doctor answered.

Her words hung in the air and dread rushed through my veins like ice, freezing me to the spot. Her parents didn't look much better.

My hand slid off the door and I stumbled back a few steps, feeling much like the zombie Plagg had referred to me as this morning. I don't remember making a conscious decision to leave, but I registered myself setting the flowers to the side of their door before I turned around to walk back outside like I was watching the actions of a complete stranger.

The atmosphere was complete different than when I had first arrived. None of it felt real, like I was walking around in a foggy dream.

The city and streets looked more lifeless, the colors around me seemed less vivid as if my senses had become muted… even the flowers I'd left at their door seemed to have lost their luster. It was all so dreary.

Again, I only realised I was staring off into nowhere when I felt a tug against my sleeve.

"Adrien? Adrien!" Plagg yelled at me for what must have been the umpteenth time that day.

"Not now Plagg," I muttered, beginning to walk forward again. "I'm a little distracted right now."

"Yeah I got that," he scoffed, "You're going the wrong way for starters, Marinette is behind us you know."

"I'm not going to see her," I kept my head down. "We're going home."

"Woah-woah-woah, home!?" He hurried after, slipping inside my jacket pocket. "You never want to go home, and after all the trouble you went through to convince your father to come here and now we're gonna leave!? I thought you wanted to see her."

"This isn't about what I want," I shook my head. "Seeing her won't make things better."

"But…" Plagg glanced back at the bakery. "What if she wants to see you?"

That thought made me pause.

Unable to resist the temptation I looked back at her family bakery running my eyes up the building to her bedroom window and my throat constricted.

"It's just until she gets better," I said, forcing myself to turn back to where my bodyguard was waiting.

"We'll come back when we find a way to help her."

* * *

~Professor Bolts P.O.V~

The sound of metal scrapping metal, and sparks of electricity echoed around the mostly empty room in a loud incessant pattern, but the sound went unnoticed as I had become accustomed to the noise weeks earlier.

The room was spacious and other than a small window covered poorly with old splintered planks leaking small amounts of light, completely dark. The dark didn't matter however. My visors picked up on energy in the form of heat from the object around me meaning, I didn't need any light at all. And of course, I needed to conserve all the energy I had access to in order to keep from overloading the transformers around the city.

Various wires laid out crazily around the room, every one of them live and carrying enough energy to potentially stop anyone's heart if they made the mistake of touching it. Proceeding with caution, I overlooked the performance of each wire by sending energy through each circuit to make sure they were running. Whenever something in the machine was off sparks would fly out in the areas that required maintenance, and I made the corrections as necessary, but the real problem was making sure none of them came in contact with the other should I accidentally electrocute myself by stepping on one.

It was tedious work, but the end result so close at hand made the effort all the more thrilling.

"Is it ready?" A familiar voice called out over the noise.

I glanced over my shoulder to the man standing in the shadowed corner of the room and allowed myself a smile. "All good things come to those who wait, my friend."

"As you've said before," Hawkmoth took long strides forward, overlooking the machine with scrutiny. "But I am not a patient man, I am a man of action," he stomped his cane onto the floor with finality. "It's time to get results."

"You've waited this long," I reasoned, setting the cables to the side, pulling the thick safety gloves off my hands getting to my feet to face him. "Surely a few more hours isn't too much to ask."

"The reason you've had this much time is because you've been able convinced me of your methods," he ran a hand briefly over the smooth metal, then brought his fingers to his face like he was looking if his gloves had been tainted by any dust. "But as we've still seen no sign of Ladybug, I have doubts that this is the solution to our problem. How can we be sure this will give us the results we want if she doesn't show herself?"

"I'm rather positive this will get her attention."

"I wish I could share your certainty."

"Why take my word for it," I stepped aside motioning to the machine. "When you can see for yourself."

He made no move to come closer, but nodded briefly as if to tell me to get on with it.

I walked around the perimeter of the machine halfway before kneeling down to pull the switch activating the power. "We'll start off slow of course," I said, setting the dial on to its lowest setting.

A large whirring sounded as the fans activated to cool the battery as the machine began to take on large amounts of energy. Blinding light shot out around the room from the bright bulge of energy that gathered in the center. The mass wavered and sent out small bursts at random, but ultimately it held a stable form.

A wide grin spread across my face from my sheer elation. I sparred a brief glance at Hawkmoth to find he was grinning as well.

It worked.

* * *

.

.

.

Authors Note:

FLOWER FACTS!

So in both this and the last chapter you may have noticed the presence of a white orchid, and now the pink peonies, and that's because I chose them for their individual meanings. Hidden story stuff 'oooh, 'ahhhh'.

So white orchids have a ridiculous amount of meanings that differ depending on the culture talking about them, but the most common traits you run across are purity, and perfection which I thought suited the flower, as well as Marinette. In the story Marinette is trying to hold on to this idea that she can't be affected by her injury and is trying to dedicate herself even more to finding Professor Bolt as she is trying to uphold this perfectionist standard for herself because she doesn't want to admit anything is wrong. In the previouse chapter when Cat Noir broke her orchid, that was symbolic for breaking Marinette's illusion of perfection she was trying to present to everyone, thereby forcing her to the reality that things are not okay, and she doesn't have control over her situation like she had originally thought.

Peonies also have a lot of different meanings and belief, but generally symbolize a need to bring honor through sucess, romance between two strangers, bashfulness and shame, wealth and riches, as well as beauty in all forms. Pale pink peonies focus specifically on the bashful aspect of the flower, symbolizing regret for embarrassing yourself or someone else. The ultimate message of the flower is to remember how your actions reflect on yourself and others, strive to be your best self, share your love with others to improve their lives as well as your own, and to not be afraid to apologize when you make a mistake. I thought this flower expressed not only how Adrien felt, but also the regret he wanted to express to Marinette. I also thought it was a good message for Marinette to receive because to me it showed how Adrien never expect perfection of her since he accepts people for who they are and he accepts that they make mistakes.

And that's all for this week. Don't forget to favorite and follow and as always thank you for reading ^~^

~Snowfall


	17. Promises

Chapter 17: Promises

~Chat Noir's P.O.V~

"Just hold on a second. I never said we should get rid of Marinette," Ladybug ran a hand over her hair with a look of agitation that I understood all too well.

"Whether or not Marinette is involved there's only so much she'll be able to do." I shook my head firmly. "We can't involve her in this anymore."

"Listen, if you're doing this because of the fight, it's unnecessary. I'm sure you both said things you need to apologize for but if you just go back I'm sure she'll be more than willing to help."

"Go back?" I gave her an incredulous look. "No, she's done enough."

"I beg to differ."

"This isn't getting us anywhere!" I countered, pacing around the roof as a last stitch effort to contain my frustration. "There are more important things we should be talking about, things that we need to be doing."

"Well you should have thought about that before you decided to ditch Marinette."

"Please!" I yelled, running my hands through my hair roughly. "I don't want to fight with you too."

She opened her mouth again like she was going to argue anyway, then clamped it shut again. A semi scowling glower set in on her face, but she gave me a slight nod of her head to proceed.

"Thank you," I let my shoulders relax ever so slightly and I ran my hands for my hair as I tried to gather my thoughts again. "Marinette is brilliant and brave and… amazing. I'm glad it was her who was helping me, but she got hurt because I made a mistake. Ever since you've been gone I've been making mistakes. I've been trying to handle this without you but we've been waiting for something to happen for too long, someone else is going to get to hurt if we don't get out there and find him. If you and I do this together I know we can end this."

I looked to her face expecting her to return my look with her usual glow, her look of determination I remembered so fondly... but when she met eyes again there was no sign of this determination. She just looked tired.

"Can't you give me a little more time?" She asked in a low voice.

' _No!'_ every fiber of my being seemed to scream all at once, but I managed to rein in the intensity of my emotions before throwing them all in her face.

I bit my tongue. "I don't doubt that you're doing important work, but there are people out here who need you," I reasoned, looking into her eyes. "I need you."

She pursed her lips into thin line as if this was distressing to hear.

"I know you Ladybug, and I know things have been different between us since the eiffel tower. I want you to know that I never meant to put you in a difficult situation before. No matter how you feel about me I'll always have your back, but lately... you haven't been much of a partner to me, and you haven't been much of a hero to the people of this city. The Ladybug I know wouldn't stand for that."

She remained silent , and I clutched my hand into a fist and took a moment to compose myself before speaking again.

"I don't want you to feel like I'm invading your personal life," I raised a hand up as if to calm her down. "I will always have your back, but I can't do that if you keep pushing me away."

"Pushing you away?" She blinked.

"That's what this is about isn't it?"

"I-It's not…" She trailed off into silence, shifted her eyes down making an obvious effort to not look at me. "It's just complicated."

A huge wave of disappointment swept over me, and I didn't stop it from pouring out into my features. "So much for your promise," I scoffed.

"What?" She asked, raising her head a fraction.

" _Your promise,"_ I repeated with a bite to my voice. "That Ladybug and Chat Noir would do everything in our power to keep the people of paris safe, but you've hardly done anything! Marinette's been working herself sick to help to try and help us and you won't even meet with me to find the akuma!" I threw a hand in the air. "Ever since I told you how I felt about you on the Eiffel tower I've barely been able to get in contact with you."

Her face lit up up with pure shock like I'd provided her with new information. She was so dumbstruck it left her unable to speak for a few moments.

"I…" The shock on her face settled, but it didn't fade completely. "I don't know what to tell you," was all she managed to say.

I could only shake my head in stunned silence. I knew just by the look on her face she wasn't going to help. And nothing I said was going to change her mind.

"Of course not," I averted my eyes, refusing to look at her anymore. "Do what you want, but I'm going to end this with or without you. Feel free to join me when you're ready."

"Chat Noir you can't!" She called out, as I set the screen down from my face. "It's too dang-" her voice cut off as I ended the call.

* * *

~Marinettes POV~

Four times I tried getting ahold of Chat Noir, and four times I was sent to his voicemail. I eventually gave up on getting ahold of him and I ended the transformation to slump exhaustedly back into my pillow as Tikki materialized into the air.

"I didn't know he confessed his feeling to me." My hand trembled and I clenched my sheet to steady it. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't see how it would help," Tikki placed a hand on my cheek, giving me an apologetic look. "I knew it would only put more pressure on you."

"Well now he thinks I've been avoiding him because of it," I shoved my hands into my face. "He's not on good terms with Marinette, or Ladybug."

"He's upset because he knows you're hiding something from him," Tikki floated down to sit with me on the bed. "You need to tell him the truth Marinette, you need to tell him you're Ladybug."

"I… I can't tell him that," I shook my head then cringed as the movement made my room spin.

"He's your partner, would it really be that bad if he knew?"

I gave a humorless laugh. "You mean, if he knew I've been hiding under his nose all this time?"

"The truth always finds a way out," she said lightly, but her sweet tone didn't stop it from sounding like a horrible warning.

"It's too late for that to do any good now," I turned my head down into my lap. "He won't talk to me and if he did… I wouldn't even know what to say."

"I know you're worried you'll let him down, but you just have to trust that he'll react the right way." She encouraged. "Besides, we don't have a choice anymore, if you push your body more than you already have you may break down. If he knew who you were he wouldn't be asking you to do any of this."

"If he knew he wouldn't let me help him at all," I balled my hand into a tense fist. "And if I don't do something to help him it's just a matter of time before he gets hurt too."

I glanced at the I.V sticking in my vein. Grabbing a tissue I pressed it against my arm then looking away I pulled it out, unable to distinguish the sting of the needle from my aching nerves.

"Marinette!" Tikki yelled, zooming to look at my arm. "What are you doing!?"

"Finding Chat Noir," I replied evenly.

I continued pressing the tissue on my skin as I prepared to slide my feet on the floor and Tikki shot in front of my face putting her tiny hands on my uninjured shoulder as if to push me back down.

"Absolutely not," she said firmly, "You're in no condition to get out of bed, if you strain yourself it will only make it that much harder for you to recover. "

"I won't strain myself if you're there to help me," I argued, ignoring her protest as I continued rising off the bed.

Slowly, I put my full weight on each leg until eventually I was standing upright. My vision blotched from the quick shift in weight like I had expected, but I played it off by resting my weight on the bedpost until I adjusted.

I felt light headed, but I was able to keep my balance and my heartbeat remained steady. The nerves throughout my body tingled unpleasantly but the only real pain I felt was from my chest and stomach wound and I could ignore it. For Chat, I would ignore it.

"With your help, I'll be able to handle it," I assured her.

"That's not a risk we can take!" She shook her head incredulously. "If you get hurt you'll only be making yourself worse."

"You can't expect me to sit here and let him do this all by himself."

"And you can't expect me to gamble your health Marinette!"

"If I can't do my duty as Ladybug then maybe you need to find someone who can!" I blurted in frustration.

I froze, clamped my mouth shut, and we stared at each other like gaping statues.

Ladybug was an essential part of my life. Giving it up would be like giving up a part of who I was, not to mention my friendship with Tikki, and Chat Noir… I couldn't imagine handing that over to someone else, but yet again, if I couldn't be the hero they needed… perhaps it was best they find someone else.

I clenched my fist then bowed my head in defeat. "I don't want you to leave," I admitted in a low voice. "But maybe… maybe it would better for everyone if-"

"Marinette," Tikki flew up to my face setting her tiny hand on my cheek and looking me straight in the eye. "There is no one in this city that could possibly make a better Ladybug than you."

A warm burst of happiness, followed by a profound sense of relief swept through me. "Thank you," I told her, gently nuzzling her against my face.

The moment didn't last long because I pushed away to hold myself straighter. "I understand that you're worried, but I need you to trust me," I held her gaze trying to convey how serious I was. "This is what superheroes do, this is what you and I are meant to do."

Her eyes darted around my face as well, inspecting me closely. Whatever was going through her head she was thinking it through carefully.

"Do you promise you won't go too far?"

"I'll stay close," I promised.

"And if you see any trouble you'll walk the other way?"

"No fighting," I agreed. "I just need to find him and… find a way to explain all this."

"Then let's do it," she nodded. "Together."

"Together," I smiled.

"Spots on!"


	18. Lights Out

Chapter 18: Lights Out

~Marinettes P.O.V~

The weather was particularly awful that night.

On any other day this would have been the type of weather I would have gladly remained indoors for, but tonight it came as a relief as it meant I didn't have to worry about any potential run-ins with Professor Bolt.

I felt significantly stronger the moment I transformed as always, but I was well aware my physical capabilities were still far from what they used to be. This became obvious the moment I actually tried to leave my balcony.

While throwing my my yo-yo over the streets to the nearby rooftops, I accidentally over extended my injured arm pulling at the delicate laceration in my shoulder. When I jerked my arm back as an automatic response to the pain, the yo-yo swung down into the streets very nearly smacking some poor unsuspecting bystander on the street below.

I tried to be a bit more careful after that.

It took me a few minutes of experimentation, but eventually after leaving the confines of my balcony I began making more progress than mistakes. As long as I made steady deliberate movements going only short distances at a time, I was able to get around without over exerting myself. This of course made it easier for me to focus on locating Chat Noir, an already daunting task as the weather didn't permit a clear view of anything much farther than 15 feet away.

The rooftops provided me with the best view of my surroundings so I made a point to stick to them, but it was also where I faced the worst of the storm. If I wasn't being blown around by the wind, or hammered by the consistent stream rain, then I was fighting to keep my footing against the slick tiles. Part of me enjoyed running about despite the weather, but every now and then when I took a step my legs would start to shake and then jerk awkwardly out to the side as the first signs of fatigue began to take effect.

I tried calling Chat Noir a few more times hoping I'd eventually get a response, but I gave up on that as well once I realised it was a wasted effort. I checked for his tracker signal to locate him instead, but there was nothing for me to pick up on there either. Ultimately without being able to narrow down the places he could be, I was left with only two possibilities: either he found a way to hide his signal from me, or he had de-transformed for the night.

I hoped for the latter.

Drenching wet, and running out of ideas, I began to accept that without a definitive way of locating him I was wasting my time, as well as my energy. I wracked my brain for all the places he could possibly be or ways I might draw him out, but I was drawn a blank. I considered using lucky charm, but some small part of me felt that it would be unfair to Chat.

With that thought I began to slow. "Maybe I should go back," I pondered to myself, glancing in the direction I had come from.

I didn't look long before I twisted back around. "No, I should keep going," I clenched my fist with renewed determination.

I only made it couple more steps before yet again- questioning my actions and turning back around as I wondered whether or not I should return. I stood on the roof pacing around like an indecisive fool for I don't know how long, but with absolutely no progress being made, I eventually decided to seek shelter from the elements while I considered my options.

The moment I picked my head up to find a little bit of cover-, I noticed the lights around me begin to flicker.

It started with just one building, then the power out spread affecting homes, business, and street lights alike until one by one, all the lights within the vicinity snuffed out leaving me in almost total darkness.

"Great," I blinked blindly, crouching down to the roof to maintain my sense of balance. "Now I'll never find him."

I didn't get to experience the blackout for very long before the cities backup generators activated and a few of the streetlights came on again, giving off enough light that I was able to make out basic shapes in my surroundings once more. Most the buildings however didn't re-gain their power connection.

' _The weather sure is taking a toll on the power grid,_ ' I noted briefly before pushing the observation to the back of my mind, only more determined to find shelter before another blackout struck.

I ignored the street lights as they too began to flicker off and on-, when a strange and unusually loud electrical sputtering began to echo throughout the streets.

It was a sound unlike any I'd heard before and it reverberated around the city in such a way I couldn't seem to pinpoint the direction it was coming from. I peered around, walking to each side of the building I was on trying to locate a malfunctioning transformer, torn down power cable or some other other obvious reason to attribute for the loss of power and eerie noise-, when my eyes ran over a dark silhouette of a person standing on the rooftop just across from me.

I froze as did the figure, and the two of us stared at each other in tense silence…. or at least I think we were staring at each other, but in all honesty I couldn't get a clear view of the figures face to be sure. What made it all the more disturbing was the feeling that this person had somehow snuck up on me in dark.

"Chat Noir?" I yelled, raising my voice as loud as it would go, which I had to admit was not very loud over the roar of the rain.

I took a step forward and as soon as I did, the lights from every house, building, and street lamp snuffed out all at once, leaving me in total darkness for the second time that night. I stumbled as my eyes adjusted to the night. Only when my eyes fully adjusted did I catch his silhouette dash by my peripheral vision, but he was further away than before, moving across the rooftops with haste.

"Chat Noir, Wait! I called again, throwing my yo-yo out after him. "I have to talk to you!"

My ribs scream in protest, but I didn't let up as I chased after. The ominous electrical sputtering became louder and louder as I did. Once he reached the edge of the roof he stood perfectly still, and I thought I saw him looked back at me for a moment before he leaped down and out of sight.

I made it to the last spot I'd seen him only a few moments later and I peered down into the wide open to look at where he'd gone. I recognised I was standing in as the city park within walking distance of my home. It was usually a popular area during the day, but completely empty now that it had closed for the night.

I cleared my throat a few times so I could call out to him but instead flew into a fit of heavy coughing that brought me to my knees with exhaustion. I gave up on getting his attention vocally and observed the perimeter of the park for a clearing spot to land in while I caught my breath.

It didn't take long before I glimpsing a nice light post to latch onto near my side of the roof. I raised my good arm and threw my yo-yo with the utmost care around the light pole. Not trusting my arms to hold my weight, I wrapped the wire over my waist and thighs much like a rock climbing vest. When I was satisfied with my makeshift zipline, I jumped off the edge towards the grassy clearing.

The ground rushed to me more quickly than I had an anticipated and I clenched my muscles in preparation for a rough dismount-, but much to my surprise as well as relief, I slowed down enough on my own that I made the landing rather smoothly.

"Phew," I breathed in relief, retracting the wire. "That went well."

"Hello Ladybug," a deep and unfamiliar voice of a man called out from behind me.

My hair stood on end, and I spun to face the intruder.

In the middle of the park, an area that had been empty mere moments ago, stood the figure I'd _thought_ was Chat Noir.

There wasn't much light to see the man by, but he cast a very powerful silhouette. Now that I was closer it was obvious this was not my partner. He was tall, wearing a long dark navy blue raincoat with a large pointed hood that covered his features in a way that hid his face perfectly in shadow.

"After all this time I didn't expect you to come out by yourself," the man move to the side like he was going to circle me . "Not that I'm complaining of course, I have been very eager to meet you," he laughed.

"Who are you," I demanded, keeping my yo-yo at the ready.

"Ah, pardon me, we've yet to be properly introduced," he gave a slight bow of his head, then raising his arms, he brought his hood down to his shoulders... revealing the reflective orange visors that covered the upper half of his face.

My eyes widened.

"I am Professor Bolt," he grinned at my expression. "And I'll be taking your miraculous."

The whirring electrical noise grew louder, then there was an explosion of light. Though the city had gone completely dark, I flinched away from the sudden brightness emitting of a single unknown source.

I raised my arms over my eyes for protection and tried squinting through my fingers to see what was happening.

The light was coming from a thick beam of energy that shot at least 200 feet in the air. The beam wavered for a moment, then another surge of energy shot through and it began to spread outward in all directions until I realised it was forming a semi translucent shield around us.

As the dome grew outward, the center became thinner, encompassing a good section of the city in an amber energy shield. The light dispersed the streets and buildings as the field spread, dimly lighting everything inside.

Realising my line of sight had increased tenfold, I looked up to discover the dome was blocking out the rain.

Adrenaline shot through my veins as if some part of me knew I should dread what was to come. Without thinking I raced toward the nearest circumference of the shield before it could close me within. I pushed my feet off the ground hard in an effort to make it to edges, but the shield was faster. I hadn't even made it close to the edge before the shield hit the ground, letting out a small blast that cause caused the street lights nearest to the dome to shatter.

As a last effort I threw my yo-yo at the wall hoping it might slide through, but it bounced off the surface with a solid sounding thunk.

"Oh no," I groaned.

Professor Bolt let out a booming laugh and I turned in time to see him throw his raincoat to the ground.

"I invented that barrier myself Ladybug, there's no point in trying to get through." He spread his arms out to the side and his backpack whirred to life as wild streaks of electricity gathered into his hands. The balls of energy let out menacing crackles.

"My mind has always been my greatest weapon. Much like yourself."

I sprung out of the way of the blasts and down the nearest side street seconds before he threw his hands forward unleashing two large burst of lightning. I felt the heat of the blast on my back but I didn't dare look back In case I should lose speed.

I ran down the street coming face to face with several more turns, I made a hard right down the first alley I came across and shot into an even smaller path. The alley turned out to be a dead end littered with various bits of trash but that was fine. As long as it kept me hidden long enough to call Chat Noir I didn't care.

I scrambled behind the rusty dumpster for cover and flipped out my yo-yo while trying not to breath the foul scent through my nose. My fingers stumbled halfway through the movement and I briefly dropped the yo-yo on the floor before scrambling to get it in my hands again.

"Come on Chat Noir, answer," I begged, as the screen as it began dialing.

I nearly sagged with relief as he picked up on the first ring.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir exclaimed, looking as alarmed as I felt. "In the middle of the city there's-"

"A giant menacing dome of energy," I finished for him, glancing warily around my surroundings. "Yeah, I'm inside it."

"What?" His eyes went wide and he pressed a single eye close to the screen, trying to get a better look at my surroundings. "You're- when did you-?"

"We don't have time," I cut in. "Professor Bolts on my tail and I managed to slip away, but it's only a matter of time before he finds me. I could use some backup."

"I'm on my way," he replied, the screen jumping up and down telling me he was on the move.

"You won't be able to get in through the shield, I already tried. It doesn't let anything in or out, I think it's main purpose is to block out the rain."

"Well now we know what he's been doing on his free time," Chat huffed humorlessly. "I'm guessing he's behind all the power outs lately?"

"Most likely, I think he's been tapping into the cities energy grids to power his machine… and we've been missing the signs this whole time," I groaned.

Chats eyes lit up. "Hold on, if he's been drawing power from the cities power grid, then maybe there's a way for me to cut off the power source from outside."

"No," I blurted automatically. "His machine is drawing massive amounts of energy, meaning if you try to detach any of the cables in that weather while it's still drawing power it could kill you."

"Ahh… bad idea," he nodded. "How do you suggest we take it down?"

"There's nothing you'll be able to do from outside, I'll have to find a way to shut it down from in here."

"What's your plan?"

The shattering of glass sounded from somewhere behind me and I automatically huddled closer into the side of the dumpster to conceal myself.

"I uh… I don't know yet," I said lowering my voice, "But I'll think of something. Just be ready to get inside the second I get it down, if I make it to the machine I might be able to-"

A thunderous crash rang out as the dumpster I'd been hiding behind was thrust violently to the side, sending trash and debris scattering out wildly around me.

I jumped to my feet turning to find Professor Bolt standing in the entrance of the alley.

"You can only hide from me for so long," he called out, tapping his visors with a single finger. "I'll always find you in the end."

I slammed my yo-yo shut and thinking fast I grabbed an old rusty bucket off the ground nearly overflowing with rain water and thrust it at his face.

He shot the bucket out of the air almost immediately, but had to shield himself from the wave of water that sprayed around him. Which was all the distraction I needed.

Throwing myself on the wall I began to run up the side. Windows shattered around me and I could feel the the building shake under my feet as I continued up. I dodged each blast he threw until I made it to the top and flipped over onto the roof, sprinting as fast as I could in an effort to create more distance between us.

I redirected my path back towards the center of the park where the beam shot up in the air powering the shield. The nerves in my body screamed at me to slow down and my lungs cried out for air, but with Professor Bolt following close behind I was able to override my body's protests and continue onward.

I was making quick progress to the park, with only a building or two left to cross… before I made the mistake of look over my shoulder.

Without seeing where I was going, I stepped on a slick patch of roof tiles. I slipped down the side of the roof frantically throwing my arms out to keep from falling off. By the time I regained my footing Professor Bolt was on me.

He landed on the roof ready to fight and I threw my yo-yo at him in an attempt to keep him back. He sidestepped the throw and closing the distance between us thrust his leg at me with a kick.

I responded by ducking under his leg, quickly wrapping my yo-yo around his ankle as I rolled to the side. Using both hands, I gave a sharp tug snatching his feet out from under him. He hit the ground on the flat of his back and let out a heavy heave as the air got knocked right out of him.

I only glance at his face briefly before dashing past him for the generator, but the stunned expression I saw on his face was priceless. I would have laughed if I'd had the oxygen to spare.

Leaping over the last building not wanting to waste any time, I simply wrapped my yo-yo around a nearby by chimney and jumped off the edge lowering myself into the park. I landed on my feet harder than I meant to making my knees buckle, but I didn't give myself time to recover as I continued sprinting across the grass to the metallic humming device.

The generator was a strange hexagonal shaped device that had to have been at least six feet tall and 12 feet wide, assembled with layers of thick sturdy sheets that looked like they could have been made of metal. In the small cracks where the sheets connected there was a mess of small wires wrapped within.

On the outside was a large array of buttons and switches of various shapes and sizes, but there were no images or small instruction to give me slightest clue about what any of them actually did.

I reached out and press buttons at random, but a stray jut of electricity shot out over the machine before I could get close. I tried again but again more potentially deadly strands of electricity dashed out at random as if encasing the device in a wild protective shield.

"I guess it's now than never," I panted taking a step back from the sparking death trap. "Lucky Charm," I called out.

My yo-yo spiraled through the air, sending magical swirls flying in all directions until an object materialized and fell into my hands.

"Gloves?" I picked one up and the flexible material flopped around uselessly in my hand. "Rubber gloves," I realized, taking a second look at the machine.

This time I ignored the numerous buttons and switches, my focus was redirected on the singular lever built off to the side. Slipping a glove on each hand, I took one last moment to look around circumference of the shield for a sign of Chat Noir.

I reached my hand out to the machine again letting it hover just out of reach of the lightning sparks."Here goes nothing," I bit my lip, then taking the risk, I thrust my hand through the tendrils of electricity and shoved the lever all the way down.

The effect was instantaneous, the machine let out a final groan and gradually the loud whirring died down from within its core. The streams of electricity wrapping around the exterior began to receded within, and the beam shooting out from the center collapsed into a wavy stream of energy before receding completely. The moment the beam went away the shield began dissipate, much like water running across an empty glass until it opened up to the sky.

"Yes!" I exclaimed as I watched a wide sheet of rain begin to fall through.

I turned around with glee to watched the rest of the shield fall down… but my monetary triumph was short lived. As I turned, I realized too late that Professor Bolt was already lunging at me from the side.

I scrambled to my left to avoid his maneuver but I didn't move nearly fast enough. His leg swung around kicking me directly in my ribs knocked me flat on the ground. I didn't have anytime to recover before he reached down to grab me and thrust me away from the generator several feet through the air as if I weighed no more than a rag doll.

I tried reaching for my yo-yo, but I never had the chance to use it before I collided with the solid trunk of a tree.

I felt the impact, I felt the air get knocked out of my lungs, and I was fairly certain I felt several of my ribs crack, but I didn't register any pain as my body went numb from shock.

I crumpled to the ground, the only sound besides the ringing in my ears was the erratic rhythm of my heart as it frantically pumped blood through my body.

All the sounds around me became dull and muted like I had put headphones on. I opened my eyes in an effort to reorient myself, but everything swirled too quickly to focus on anything so I clamped them shut once more and kept my head down, focusing on the sensation of the cool grass against my cheek.

My breathing slowed and I felt myself losing consciousness, then like someone flipped a switched, my senses seemed to hit me all at once.

My eyes snapped open as the pain brought me to my full awareness and I sucked in a deep breath as an inexorable wave of nausea swept through me. I managed to hoist myself to my knees to retch up a dark metallic tasting substance onto the grass.

Knowing I had to leave I tried to lift myself back to my feet, but the moment I shifted my weight the blood rushed from my head causing me to fumble back down on my knees.

' _Have to get up..'_ I told myself digging my fingers in the dirt as if to try and stop the spinning. ' _Get up.. get up…'_

I hadn't even begun to collect myself by the time Professor Bolts shadow entered my field of vision. He stood across from just a few feet away, behind him the beam was shooting steady streams of energy and the shield was up and running once more.

He came at me with intentionally slow and steady movements, and my mind screamed for me to flee, but there wasn't anything I could do to get away, nowhere for me to go. I was spent.

My body was shaking so hard I couldn't hold my head up to watch anymore. I watched his shadow move towards me across the grass until the tips of his shoes made it into my line of sight, standing directly under my nose.

"This is where it ends," he said, bending down and placing a hand at the bottom of my chin, forcing me to look into his face.

"I... w-wouldn't... be so sure of that," I panted.

"Rest assured, I'll make sure to take care of Chat Noir too."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that either," I recognized Chat voice a split second before a metal pole came crashing into the side of Professor Bolts head.

Spit flew from his mouth the blow sending him sprawling headfirst into the dirt and I looked up to find Chat Noir standing over him.

* * *

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Authors Note:

Hey guys! This ended up being a longer than I'm used to uploading and I very nearly decided to split it into two because so much happens… but in the end I decided against it. So now you have a really long chapter with a whole lot of stuff going on. You're welcome ;P.

Next week's chapter things are really gonna heat up, I'm so excited! ^~^ See you all then.

~Snowfall


	19. Found You

Chapter 19: Found You

~Chat Noir's P.O.V~

Professor Bolt was bent over the ground gripping his head with one hand and clawed through the grass with the other, obviously in excruciating pain. Ladybug was kneeling on ground just behind him, clutching her ribs and shooting me a look of immense relief. Wasting no time, I jumped over Professor Bolt to reach her and scooped Ladybug into my arms as I lunged behind the nearest tree to give us shelter.

Professor Bolt let out a loud roar, and a blast of electricity shot down on the ground besides us, throwing dirt in the air and leaving a scorched hole where we were seconds before.

"Are you alright?" I yelled to her over the noise.

"Y-yeah…" she stuttered, gripping tightly onto my shoulder. "You were.. just in time."

"At least one of us was," I muttered.

Professor Bolt threw another onslaught of energy blasts after us and neither of us said anything as I focused on our retreat. The moment there was a notable pause in his attack I dashed out from behind the trees and to the line of buildings for cover. As I ran into the alleys and over the rooftops I was sure Ladybug and I would easily have outrun him after the blow he took to the head, yet when I glanced behind I found Professor Bolt was close behind.

I put on a bit more speed to add distance between us but he stayed several paces behind us at every turn. No matter what I did I couldn't seem to lose him for more than a few seconds before he caught sight of us again.

"I don't know if we'll be able to lose him like this," I huffed glancing over my shoulder. "Do you think you'll be able to run on your own? We might be able to confuse him if we split up."

"C-can't, I think... a few off my ribs were broken back there," she gasped out in short breaths, still cradling one arm over her chest. "You're going to have to shake him off long enough to get away. T-try hiding.. behind one of the chimneys… one of the ones with smoke coming out of it."

"A chimney?" I peered around the rooftops curiously. Sure enough, I spotted a few buildings emitting a few thin dissipating streams of smoke.

"I t-think his visors can detect us through body heat.. that's probably why he's having such an easy time locating us," she explained. "If you hide behind something solid that's already giving off a heat signature… it might be able to mask our own."

"Hide our heat signature," I nodded. "Got it."

Making a sudden change of direction, I dropped off the rooftop into a damp side alley that he followed us into as expected. Making a quick turn, I zigzagged my way through the narrow side streets then up and over the side of another building.

The instant I lost sight of him I rushed for the first line of chimneys I came upon. Following a dissipating stream of smoke that wafted through, I found exactly what I'd hoped for, a thick brick chimney. I ducked behind the structure and gripping Ladybug in my arms pressed myself against the rough brick, keeping my ears on alert for any sign of his approach.

I heard the ominous whirring of his backpack as he got closer and I subconsciously started to hold my breath. After a few suspenseful moments I released my breath and I quickly set Ladybug upright on her feet when it was obvious he hadn't seen us. Though I knew he had gone, I kept my focus towards the direction we'd come from in an attempt to busy myself so I wouldn't have to face her. Focusing on the Professor Bolt seemed easier than facing her.

All was quiet until Ladybugs miraculous let out a continuous string of beeps, warning us that she only had a couple of minutes before she transformed back.

I looked up to the dome over our heads and let out another deep breath. "So," I said a bit more briskly than I meant to, but I couldn't quite keep my temper from seeping into my voice. "What made you decide to finally show up?"

She replied almost immediately, but whatever she said was completely unrecognizable as her sentence trailed off into a slur of unintelligible mumbling.

My eyebrows knitted together. "What?" I asked turning around to hear her better.

The moment I looked at her bone white face, I realized something was very wrong.

"Ladybug?" I asked, turning to face her fully, my anger forgotten.

Her lips were turning a pale shade of blue, and when I made eye contact with her she blinked at me like she was having a hard time focusing on my face. Just as I began to reach an arm out to steady her, her legs buckled from under her and she swung forward precariously.

"Woah!" I exclaimed, stepping in front of her to keep her from hitting the ground. "Hey what is it, what's wrong?"

As I clamped my arms around her the rest of her body seemed to simply let go and her full weight sank into me. I clamped onto her slowly lowering her to the ground.

"Did he hit you?" I blanched, shooting my eye around her body looking for the point of impact, noticing her arm still clutching her ribs.

"It's n-nothing, I just need a moment," she rolled her head away from me weakly.

"I don't believe that for a second," I scoffed. "You look like your about to pass out."

"T-there's nothing we can do about it," she interjected. "We need to figure out a way to capture the akuma before we do anything else... It's the only way we'll make it outside this dome anyway."

I bit my lip. Now that she was in front of me I wanted answers more than ever, but I also realized the truth in her words. She was obviously in no shape to fight and there was no way of getting her out of here without taking down the shield. Plus if we didn't deal with Professor Bolt now, who knew when we'd get another chance at him again, or what he'd invent next if we gave him the opportunity. As much as I hated to admit it, this would have to be put off for another time.

"Alright," I gave in. "What do we need to do?"

"None of his equipment can hold up against water for long." She answered. "If you can find a way to take out his shield for good, you can take away his defense from the rain… then his equipment should start to malfunction like last time."

"And then I can get close enough to grab his visors," I nodded.

She dipped her head forward ever so slightly as a weak nod. "I know it's not much of a plan but-,"

"But it's the best we've got," I finished, gently laying her against the chimney as I got to my feet. "Stay here and keep hidden, I'll try to bring the akuma back to you."

"You'll need my need my help," she insisted beginning to shift her weight.

"You can barely stand," I put an arm on her shoulder to stop her from getting up. "Just stay here until I come back."

"You can't handle him on your own," she argued.

A flash of anger ran through me. "I've been doing things on my own for a while now, I don't see how this will be any different," I replied curtly.

The comment silenced her instantly, and she bowed her head.

I felt a sort of justice that there wasn't anything for her to say, because there wasn't anything to excuse her actions… but the better part of me knew I was simply being unkind. Even if she had hurt my feeling, there was no excuse for treating her badly as well.

"We don't need to take any chances, there's nothing else you can do," I added more gently.

"I could still distract-"

"No distractions, we're not taking any chances," I finalized. "I'll find you after I deal with Professor Bolt, but until then you need to stay here."

She pursed her lips and I saw the hint of something flash through her stubborn set eyes, but she merely turned her head away instead of arguing further.

"Fine," she said simply, picking up her arms pulling off gloves that I just noticed she was wearing because they blended nearly perfectly with her suit. "Then take these with you."

"Ladybug themed.. gloves?" I asked skeptically, picking one up to examine.

"Rubber gloves," she corrected. "They'll help dampen the electric charge you come into contact with from your staff. Plus you'll need them to protect you from the machine so you can get close enough to turn it off-, or destroy it, whichever comes first."

"We'll see what happens," I said, sliding a pair on each hand.

I got to my feet preparing to dash off in the direction of the machine, but I hesitated, getting the sense I was leaving something unfinished. I tilted my head back to her ever so slightly perring at her form as she slumped against the chimney. I couldn't help but wonder if she was going to dissapear on me again.

"I know you want answers," Ladybug said, replying to my unspoken question. "But I don't have any to give you right now."

I let my hand drop to my side and extended my staff. "When this is over you'll have to tell me something," I whispered.

She pursed her lips again. "I know."

* * *

I made my way back to the center of the park hiding behind as many chimneys as I could find on my way back. I did my best to keep my distance, trying to gauge his location so I could hopefully take the path of least resistance to the generator, but no matter where I looked there wasn't any sign of him. Which I knew was probably the worst sign of all.

It didn't take long for me to realise he was doing the same thing I was, waiting patiently for the moment I expose myself. I changed my tactic and maneuvered my way around the park at the end closest to the generator, getting close enough I'd be able to close the distance in no time.

"Here goes nothing," I muttered.

Giving the area one last look, before lunging off the building into the park.

I whirred my staff over my head gliding to the ground. The second I landed on the slick grass I spinted for the generator, and almost immediately Professor bolt came for me with a vengeance. It wasn't easy to spot him right away, as he himself was completely silent. The sound of his weapon on the other hand, was very noticeable.

When my sensitive hearing picked up on the familiar hum of electricity, I threw myself to the side, and a blast of dirt and earth blew out from the side as a shot of lightning hit the ground next to me.

I rolled and changing direction dashed for the shelter of the nearby trees. He proceeded to fire an array of small condensed bolts in my direction, but all were poorly aimed and crashed into trees and earth around me with the loud crack of splitting wood.

"Looks like someone's out of practice," I taunted, stepping out from behind the tree. "Maybe you should find another job, the spiteful bad guy gig doesn't seem to be working out for you."

"Check again," he smirked.

One by one, the smaller trees let out a loud snap as they broke in half falling to the ground. The bigger trees let out let out various groans before their trunks broke apart and hit the the ground with a sizeable force. I had to jump out of the way of a few to keep from being squished.

"Well then…" I glanced at my surroundings, realising I was now in the center of a very treeless and unprotected area. "Nevermind."

"Don't you know it's rude to hide during a fight, young man," his backpack sent a surge of energy down his arms as he strode for me.

"I think most people would agree it's worse to start them," I pointed out.

Extending my staff in my other hand I rushed towards him swing as hard as I could. He ducked away from my attack, but I continued with more. Between every one of my swipes he tried to retaliate with his fist, but even with his counter attacks he was losing ground. Realising his efforts were futile he stopped his counter attacks and leap a safer distance away until he was standing on top of the carousel in the corner of the park.

"Enough of this," he yelled holding his arms out to his side.

His energy pack whirred loudly and streams of energy gathered in both his arms preparing a much bigger strike. I pulled the rubber gloves from my hand, stuffing them in my belt as I went to rush him again.

"Cataclysm!" I yelled throwing my hand in the air.

I clenched my fist around the black and green swarm that flew to my palm, and threw myself at him. Either I would stop him, or I would make it past him to destroy the machine.

Professor Bolt lifted his own hand into the air, electricity traveled down his arm and he vaulted himself forward as our hands collided in mid air.

I felt the mass of energy swirled between our fists. My fingers tingle from the pressure and just when I thought it was going to be too much, the the mass of energy exploded between us letting out a powerful wave blew outward throwing us both across the park.

I hit the ground so hard the force of the impact threw the ladybug themed rubber gloves from my belt while knocking the air out of my lungs all at the same time.

I forced myself to roll onto my side, steadily getting my bar rings until I was on my feet again. The impact was equally bracing for us both, but I recovered far quicker as Professor Bolt was still picking himself off the ground.

I looked off at the gloves in the distance and back at Professor Bolt… and I lunged for the gloves. He saw what I was going after but instead of charging his pack to throw bolts at me like I had expected, he reached across his back pulling out a shiny metallic cylinder that resembled a confetti cannon which he proceeded to aim towards me.

Alarmed, I dug my claws into the ground to come to a stop and jump to the side but I was too slow, the metal container let out a loud bang and a net flew out over me throwing me back to the ground.

I shot up, careful not to tangle myself within the wiring. "Really?" I asked pulling at the net. "That's a good effort and all but I think I can find my way out of a-"

Before I could finish making fun of him a wave of electricity zipped through the wire locking my muscles in place.

I crumpled to my knees crying out from the intensity of the shock. As soon as it started, it stopped, but before I could recover from the first wave, another shock jolted through my body lasting far longer than the first. When the current finally stopped I was left gasping to catch my breath, I tried to move my arms but the nerves weren't able to do much more than twitch.

"I've kept myself quite busy since we last saw one another," Professor Bolt walked over until he was towering over me. "I'm pleased to say my hard work is paying off," he gloated, lifting part of the net in his hands as if to examine his handiwork.

He made a point to pick up the luck charm rubber gloves off the ground as he made his way over to me. "You won't be needing these anymore." He smirked, tucking them away.

"You were right…" I grunted, barely shifting my head off the ground to look at him in the eye. "Louis Sanguine really is gone."

"Oh?" He cocked his head to the side. "And what has finally brought you to this conclusion?"

"Dr. Sanguine was a genius that only wanted to help people," I groaned again trying to shift my weight onto my side. "The person standing before me can only hurt them."

His lips curled menacingly and I slammed back on the ground as an electric surge jolted through me.

"I've been helping people since before you were born!" He hissed. "I came this close to saving more people than you or Ladybug could ever dream of... But those fools turned their backs on what I could offer the world." He clenched his fingers into a tight fist. "If they don't want my help then I'll make them regret it. I'll make them all regret it."

Another current of electricity shot through the net and the muscles throughout my body contracted making me cry out again.

He bent down grabbed the front of my suit yanking my head off the ground. "Now there's something I need your help understanding Chat Noir, you see, I find it odd that I've seen so little of your partner. You both dashed away so quickly I didn't see where it was she ended up. "

"She's a tricky one to find," I agreed.

"Indeed," he huffed, releasing his grip and dropping my head back to the ground. "But no matter, I don't actually need your cooperation to find her."

His fingers curled inward and with a quick sparking sound, a current of electricity circuited up into his hand from inside his energypack.

He stretched his arm back and I cringed, readying myself for the impact, when a voice rained down from above.

"S-stop!"

He jolted to a halt and we both shot our attention to the rooftops where Ladybug was looking down on us. She was on her feet, though I could hardly call it standing as she was leaning heavily onto the side of a chimney looking a bit worse for wear. Regardless the look on her face was one of pure determination.

Professor Bolt let out a low chuckle and I shot my eyes to his face.

"Thanks for your help," he flashed me a smug grin.

"No," I breathed.

"Ladybug!" he boasted, raising to his full height to face her. "I was beginning to think I'd scared you off for good."

"Hardley," she replied curtly. "I won't be running.. anytime soon."

"Well of course, I do have your partner after all," he nodded his head towards me. "Can't get one without attracting the other after all, the hero's downfall," he laughed, kneeling down and grabbing Chat Noir by his suit. "And now that you're both where I want you, there's nothing stopping me from taking your miraculouses."

Adrenaline shot through my veins as he reached for my ring. I squirmed against him trying to pull away but before I could so much as lift a finger another jolt of electricity shot through the net making me yelp. He yanked my hand into the air placing a heavy foot on my torso to keep me pin firmly to the ground like the shock of electricity wouldn't be enough.

Pressing his fingers against the sides of the black ring he began to wiggled it off my finger-, when I heard something fwipp through the air.

Professor Bolt heard the sound as well, and in the exact moment he turned his head to find the source, a bright red yo-yo smacked him across the face.

He released my hand instantly, again toppling to the side as he clutched his nose in agony. Ladybug's yo-yo swished back to the roof and she snatched it out of the air and her entire body slumping against the chimney like it had taken a great a great effort.

Still holding the side of his head Professor Bolt hoisted himself off the ground. A small dribble of blood was smeared across his left nostril, and the corner of his lips curled up in a snarl as he turned his head back to her with an eerie slowness that was enough to make any sensible person nervous.

Her expression didn't waver.

"If.. you want his.. Miraculous," she called down sounding out of breath. "You'll have to deal with me first."

"If you think this will change the outcome," he hissed, tossing the wiring aside. "It won't."

"Don't!" I called out, frantically fighting to untangle myself.

Ladybug glanced at me briefly before stepping out of sight, coaxing him to follow after.


	20. Backfired

Chapter 20: Backfired

~Marinettes POV~

I backed away from the edge of the roof lean my full weight on the wall, preparing my yo-yo.

I was in no condition to fight, nor would I be able to evade him before he came. I didn't want to think of this as giving myself up but technically... that's exactly what I was doing. I wouldn't have alerted him to my presence if I'd had any other option, but I was left little choice in the matter. Chat Noir was our best chance to take on Professor Bolt meaning that no matter what happened, I couldn't let him lose his miraculous. If I was going down, at least I was giving him a chance to keep fighting.

I could hear Professor Bolt approaching and as soon as he shot up onto the roof I flung my yo-yo at him, my broken ribs throbbed with near blinding agony as I thrust it towards his head hoping to prolong the distraction as long as possible.

Just when I was about to make a direct blow, his hand shot up in a quick blur and snatched the string out of the air.

"Got you," he smirked.

Using his entire torso to yank the wire, he threw me across the floor at his feet. I gasped for air, racking my hand against the ground as a painful ache pulsated through my chest with every inhale. Any uncertainties I'd had about re-breaking my ribs vanished, now the only question was how many.

I wheezed and coughed, trying to get enough oxygen in my lungs as dark droplets fell out my lips and across the roof. I knew it was blood before I could wipe the substance off my face.

"My my," Professor Bolt mused, tilting his head to the side as he examined me. "What have you been up to lately Ladybug?"

"I... don't know. . what you're talking about," I lied, shakily pushing myself to me knees. My heart was thumping so fast I thought it might explode.

"Oh I'm sure you do," he circled closer. "With electrical currents as impaired as yours I'm sure you've known about your condition for a while now."

I bit my lip. "W-why are you doing this?" I countered, still trying to drag myself to my feet. "The length you've gone for Hawkmoth... and the effort you've put into the inventions you've made for him. I don't see.. what you're getting out of all of this."

His features smoothed out into what almost passed for a charming smile. "I wouldn't worry about my benefit in all this if I were you Ladybug, if anything I'd be far more interested in knowing what you get from helping these people," he vaguely gestured at the city. "I can only imagine the strain a task as grand as this one this has put on your normal life, especially for someone so young. Aren't you tired of dealing with other people's problems?"

"I'll never get tired.. of helping others." I shook my head defiantly.

He scoffed. "Believe me, I know what it's like to devote your life to helping others and sooner or later," he knelt down getting uncomfortably close to my face. "They all get tired."

I remained silent, clutching my chest as I continued pushed myself away from him. My hand reached back only to grasp at empty air and I looked over realising I'd reached the edge with nothing but an unpleasant drop waiting for me on the other side.

"It's over," Professor Bolt held out his hand expectantly. "Why fight the inevitable?"

"B-because.. it's the right thing to do," I shakily held my yo-yo up in defense. "I'm not giving you my miraculous."

"A hero to the end," he smirked. "How unfortunate."

He threw his arm out so fast the movement was little more than a blur and he grasped the neck of my suit. I clawed and pounded against his arm to release me but if it had any effect, he certainly didn't let it show.

He raised my body into the air with a single muscular arm. I kicked and squirmed all the while, putting the rest of my strength into what I knew was a hopeless attempt to get away. Slowly, when I exerted all my energy, my muscles simply let go no longer having the strength to hold myself up any longer. My vision blurred and my head lulled to the side as I lost consciousness.

* * *

Everything was muted at first. My hearing only came back to me when I heard two distinct beeps from my miraculous. My head hurt as did my torso, but breathing was especially painful. As I gradually regained awareness I began to pick up on voices around me.

There was a split second where I couldn't remember where I was or what was happening... until I registered myself swaying in mid air and I came to my senses very quickly.

I snapped my eyes open, and instinctively latched my arms around the arm holding me by the neck of my suit. I instinctively fought against it while my feet dangled over the slanted roof leading to the street far below.

I couldn't remember how high off the ground I was, but I was sure the building had more than ten floors so my odds weren't looking good.

"Ladybug!"

I lifted my head to find Chat Noir standing directly across from me. Determination as well as worry were both evident in his features.

"Let her go!" Chat shouted at Professor Bolt, fury shot across his face. "Can't you see she's hurt?"

Professor Bolt broke my line of sight as he leaned in, sporting a broad smile. "That, is precisely why you should listen to me," he reasoned calmly.

"You've got nothing to say that I want to hear," Chat replied, not-so-calmly.

"Well I don't know if that's true," the Professor examined me briefly before turning his attention back to him. "What if I told you I'm the only one who can help your partner."

"Excuse us.. for wanting a second opinion," I scoffed, but something blocking my airways made my voice come out weak and raspy.

He threw his head back and let out a laugh. "I admire your spirit but it's time to be serious, pushing your health any farther than you already have is beyond reckless. I doubt you would have been hiding away all these weeks if you hadn't realized that."

Chat flicked his eyes towards me for the briefest moment. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

"Don't you know?" Professor Bolt tilted his head, leaving a dramatic pause as he looked at Chat. "Your partner is dying."

Chat Noir stiffened instantly. He flashed his attention between Professor Bolt and I, then after a moment's consideration shook his head firmly, tightening his grip on his staff.

"You're lying," he brushed off, but the uncertainty didn't quite leave his face.

"Am I?" Amusement tinged the Professor's voice. "If you don't believe me, then why don't you just ask her?" He suggested, nudging his head in my general direction.

Stepping slightly to the side he made a clear path so the two of us had a clear view of one another. I focused on my grip on Professor Bolts arm as I tried to keep my eyes averted, but unable to help myself, I flickered my gaze over to Chat to find his eyes were locked on mine with unwavering attention.

I stared back numbly unsure of what I should say to him, or what I could say. I knew I was hurt, but I wasn't really dying… Was I?

The tense silence between us only seemed to emphasize my labored breathing.

"You-, it can't be..." Chat eventually spoke when he saw I wasn't going to be forthcoming. "These past few days we've-, you never…" Unable to finish his sentence he continued searching my face for an answer, an explanation.

I parted my lips to say something... but the words never had a chance to come out. As soon as my lungs expanded I choked on my words as warm liquid invaded my airways and more blood spilled from my mouth, dripping onto the floor.

The effect on Chat was instantaneous. Taking an involuntarily step back his eyes widened in shock, and the color seemed to drain from his face completely.

I swiveled my head to the side, trying to bow my head forward in an attempt to hide the blood from view, but I knew it was a pointless effort. There was nothing I could do to change what he saw.

"So you really didn't know," Professor Bolt mused, seeming completely unphased by what had just taken place. "Well, I suppose if it took me for you to find out something so important, Paris's miraculous duo must not work as closely as everyone thinks," he concluded with a simple shrug.

He swung my body away from Chat Noir further over the edge and I grabbed his arms tighter trying to loosen the grip. "If you really mean that little to each other I suppose it won't matter if I take her miraculous and drop her right-"

"No!" Chat stepped forward automatically.

Professor Bolt smirked and I was lowered slightly. "Well as long as there's something you and I both want, how about we make a deal?" He offered. "If you agree to hand over your miraculous right here, right now, without anymore needless delay, I'll ensure your partner lives."

"N- no deal," I spluttered once more, pulling at his arm where it gripped the neck of my suit.

"I don't recommend straining yourself anymore than you already have Ladybug," Professor Bolt threw me a serious look before focusing back on Chat Noir.

Chats eyes dashed back and forth between us until a hopeless expression set across his face. "... How do I know you'll help her?" He eventually asked in a low voice.

Dread rushed through me. I shook my head at him, trying to communicate with my eyes that it was a mistake, but he avoided my gaze.

"I guess you'll just have to take my word for it," Professor Bolt grabbed my chin to examine me. "But I would hurry and decide if I were you, she doesn't have much time left I'm afraid."

"I've already decided!" Chat hissed, his jaw tightly clenched.

He reached down for his ring without hesitation but once his fingers met the metal, he paused, and it was like all the energy seemed to sap out of him. His shoulders that were clenched tightly in defense drooped to his side in defeat.

"I'm sorry Plagg," I heard him whisper as he began to pull his own miraculous from his finger.

A sort of dead calm flooded through me and I flung my head back onto the Professors face with razor focus to his headpiece just inches from my grasp. In that moment, I knew exactly what I was going to do.

"I'll take my chances," I huffed, and before either of them could react, I released my grip on his arm and mustering my remaining strength used my momentum to swing my leg up-, and kick the visors right off Professor Bolts face.

"NO!" They bellowed together.

The Professor made a move to catch his glasses, but he was too late as it fell to the roof with a gratifying 'crack'.

I thrust my yoyo forward as the akuma rose from the shattered lens and entrapped the butterfly in the center-, just as the professor's arm came down, slapping the yo-yo out of my grasp.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir yelled, already dashing towards me with his arm outstretched.

I reached for him as well-, when Professor Bolt let out a final furious roar and shoved me away from Chat Noir and over the side of the building before he was entirely engulfed by a blackish purple cloud.


	21. Revelations

Chapter 21: Revelations

~Marinette's P.O.V~

I threw out my arms out frantically in an effort to catch myself as I rolled uncontrollably down the side, my hair whipped crazily around my face making it even more difficult to gain my bearings. Before I got to the bottom I managed to roll onto my stomach to take up more surface space while digging my fingers into the slanted roofing tiles to slow my descent. Though I pressed against the tiles as hard as I could, the surface was so slick I couldn't stop my body from slipping towards the edge.

' _Not good -not good- not good_ ,' I kept repeating to myself, holding my breath as I neared the drop off.

Just as my legs began to slide off-, Chat Noir came flying over the edge and slid down the roof with his arm outstretched towards me.

"Take my hand!" He yelled.

I wordlessly threw my hand to him, grabbing onto his wrist.

As he worked to pull me back up, the whirring of the shield generator died down leaving the city in a startling silence. Chat and I looked up to the top of the dome where the beam sputtered out its last bit of energy to feed the shield. As the beam faded away, large sections of the shield began to thin and dissipate. The dome held for a moment longer before the entire shield burst outwards like a popping electric bubble, releasing a final blinding light that forced me to close my eyes.

The city was dark when I opened them again, but one by one the lights in the city turned on until every building in the vicinity was lit and for a brief moment of clarity, Paris was once more filled with lights.

I caught onto the sound of cheering somewhere off in the distance, but I didn't get to focus on it long as a strong gust of wind broke through the shield followed by a cold sheet of rain that was no longer being blocked by the barrier.

The rain pounded down on us and Chat clawed at the roof to gain an upper hand against the harsh elements but the added moisture proved too much as the tile became too slippery for either him or myself to get a good grip on. Realising he couldn't stop us from sliding down, he changed his approach. Letting go of the roof completely, he threw his arms around me and we went over the side of the building together.

We experienced free fall for only a few moments before Chat thrust his right hand over our heads and extended his staff into the walls on either sides of the street and we jolted to a stop in mid air.

The force of the stop jerked me out of Chats arms with ease and I would have fallen to the ground far below had he not been holding onto my wrist with an air tight lock. I let out an involuntary scream as the rough strain on my arm exacerbated my broken ribs and tore the delicate laceration on my shoulder sending a wave of excruciating pain throughout my body.

There was a loud wave of 'gasps' that filled the air, and it was at this time I noticed that the once empty streets were now filled with stream of people, all who had rushed outside their homes or businesses to ogle at the aftermath of the latest akuma attack. Their attention now focused on the two of us dangling over the street.

Camera lights flashed like crazy as people took pictures and everyone whipping out phones and various cameras to capture the event.

"Hold on!" Chat yelled down to me ignoring the commotion around us. I could clearly see his muscles straining as he began to pull me back up. "I've almost got you."

It was a gargantuan effort on Chats part, but he managed to pull me up high enough so I rested on his side, where he could hold me more easily before giving his muscles a chance to recover. I let out a sharp breath of relief as the release of pressure lessened the pain of my injured arm.

"Do you think you can make it up to the bar?" He grunted, through heavy breaths.

"I'll.. try.." I huffed, reaching my shaky hand to the bar.

I lifted my arm over my head to touch the metal, but as I reached I couldn't seem to get my muscles to move any higher. Holding my breath, I pushed myself trying to force my body to respond like it was supposed to-, but when my fingertips were mere inches away from the bar a sharp stab from my broken rib jabbed into my skin and I let out another cry as my arm dropped back to my side.

Even more gasps rose from below, a few people shouted words of encouragement, but they were lost in the noise of the crowd.

"I- I can't," I gasped through the blinding pain. "I can't grab it."

He bit his lip and I saw a moment of panic flash across his face before he composed his features. "Can you hold on to me so I can pull us up?" Chat asked instead.

I nodded my head in a weak response.

Pressing myself against his chest, I wrapped my arms under and around his back where I latched onto the top of his shoulder allowing him as much upper body movement as possible. Though my grip on him was secure, my arms felt so weak I knew I wouldn't be able to hold onto him for long.

With two arms, Chat was able to pull the two of us over of the bar far more easily and the crowd below us burst into applause as he quickly made it onto the bar and then to his feet.

He placed an arm behind my back to add extra support and my shaking fingers to slide down his back until my grip on him release completely, allowing him to carry me bridal style.

Not wasting time, he sprinted us across his extended staff in the opposite direction we came and the sound of cheering dimmed. Once we were over a solid roof once more, he didn't go very far. Stopping as soon as he was out of the eye of the people, he fell to his knees with exhaustion letting out a few groans as his muscles tried to release the tension undoubtedly due to the strain of the event.

I understood only too well how he felt.

My entire body ached in so many places the pain blurred into one confusing whole and I couldn't tell what part of me was in worse shape. What I was really worried about however, was how hard it had suddenly become to stay awake. As I felt the draw of sleep pulling on me I tried to focus solely on breathing but even this didn't seem to help as I could still feel myself flicker in and out of consciousness.

"Ladybug? Ladybug!?" Chat Noir yelled at me and I realised I had let my eyes close for a bit too long.

"Y-yes?…" I muttered in response, making a point to look up at him. His shoulders relaxed, and the crinkles in his forehead lessened once I responded to him.

"Why?" He asked, shaking his head down at me. "Why didn't you stay hidden?"

"You.. needed help…" My words came in short wheezes. "I..couldn't just sit back and watch..." My chest heaved and I leaned over to the side as I coughed more blood onto the ground.

Chats eyebrows rose in shock, then deepened, giving his face an intense look of worry. "Shhh I'm-, I'm sorry don't try to speak," he interjected, placing his hand on the back of my head to give me more support. "It's over, there's nothing we need to worry about."

"Profes-... D-Dr. Sanguine?"

"He's back to normal," he assured me, throwing a dirty glance in his general direction. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to kill him anyway."

"And the akuma?" I pried.

"It's right here," he reached behind his back revealing my red yo-yo.

"You got it," I huffed in disbelief, immense relief swept through me.

"No," he placed the smooth disc in my hand. "You did."

My hand closed around the yo-yo's smooth surface, then slowly I slid a single finger down the center of the sphere. The top opened to reveal a brilliant light and a bright white butterfly spilled out from the center. The purified akuma fluttered around our heads aimlessly and I parted my lips to wish it fare well-, when instead of flying away it fluttered back down to my chest and landed softly on the tip of my nose. I blinked a few times trying to focus my eyes on it-, when a final warning rang out of my miraculous.

The butterfly flitted away just as I lifted a hand to my ear and Chats ring let out another beep as well, announcing he had only a minute or more than I did before he transformed back and we shot each other knowing glances.

This was it. There was nowhere left for me to hide, no more excuses to give him. Whether or not I was ready, he was going to find out the truth. On one hand, I was relieved the charade had come to an end as it left me with a comforting sense of finality… but on the other hand, I was completely terrified. After tonight there was no going back.

"There's… a lot I should probably tell you," I gulped, not sure how I could even begin to explain myself.

"That, is an understatement," Chat huffed, then getting a good grasp on my body we rose off the ground. "But we'll make time for it later. Right now we need to get you help."

"There's something… you should probably know before that..." I said, gritting my teeth as he broke into a full out sprint. Every jerk sending a wave of pain through my body.

"Don't try to speak," he interjected, "You need to save your strength."

"I … n-need to tell you now," I gripped my ribs with my free arm. "It has to be now."

"Ladybug for once will you just-"

"Please," I pleaded, reaching out to gripp onto his chest. "Please..."

His forehead creased into a tight line, glanced down at me with eyes full of uncertainty. He looked me over for a while before he finally let out a sigh.

"Alright, I'm listening," he gave in, looking forward again as he continued sprinting across the rooftops. "Maybe you'd like to explain how it is you got hurt."

I sighed, letting my grip on his arm relax ever so slightly as I began to organize my thoughts.

"I got injured that day that Professor Bolt showed up," I began. "That's why it took me so long to contact you."

"Then why didn't you tell me you were injured?" He questioned again, his fingers clenched slightly. "Why were you avoiding me after that?"

"I w-wasn't really trying to avoid you…" I paused to take another breath. "Professor Bolt was still on the loose and I knew you would needed my help to look for him… b-but I also knew you wouldn't let me help if you found out I was hurt."

"Of course I wouldn't have!" He scoffed. "I'm your partner! We're supposed to help each other not put each not put each other's lives in jeopardy!" He pressed his lips together in a tight line avoiding my gaze to look straight ahead. "You should have told me the truth."

"I know," I whispered. "I just didn't know how to come out with the truth... I didn't want you.. to think of me as less..."

"As less?" His tone turned incredulous. "You've always been better than me at all of this, I… I even told you I loved you! How could I possibly think of you as less just because you got hurt? It certainly better than thinking you didn't want to see me because you didn't share my feelings."

I pressed my lips into a hard line. "It's the fact that I wouldn't have been able to tell you without revealing who I am." I finally blurted.

His eyes widened as this bit of information came to him as a surprise.

"You've… been avoiding me this whole time because you didn't want me to know who you are?" He asked slowly.

"There's.. more to it than that," I shook my head. "Everyone holds me to such a high standard as Ladybug… sometimes it feels like I've been placed on a pedestal, and I have to be perfect all the time because everyone is looking to me set the example... but in reality, none of you even know who I am," I let out a weak humourless laugh. "When I got hurt I thought I could keep it to myself and make up some excuse so no one would find out anything happened, and I thought I'd be well enough to help again before you or anyone got suspicious but…" My voice cracked as an overflow of emotion began to spill into my words. "But then I got worse..." My voice trembled again and I had to take a moment to steady myself before I could continue.

My vision got blurry and I blinked my eyes rapidly in an attempt to clear the moisture away. I glimpsed Chat Noir looking down at me in alarm, but I tried not to focus on his face as I continued speaking.

"I didn't have a plan for what I'd do if I got worse," I half sobbed. "And then my excuses became outright lies and I'd been lying to you for so long... I just didn't want to disappoint anyone." I looked up to finally meet his gaze."Especially not you."

Chat gawked at me with a completely dumbfounded expression, struck totally speechless. As he thought over my words his face changed displaying some unreadable emotion, then eventually he slowed his pace to look down and meet my gaze.

"Ladybug," He finally said looking at me gently. "You are many things, stubborn for one."

The smallest hint of a smile pulled at my lip and I made an effort to glare at him.

"But you could never be disappointing," he chuckled, continuing to smile at me sweetly. "It doesn't make any difference who you are underneath that mask because with or without it, the person you really are won't change."

A smile pulled at the corner of my lips. "You know.. w-when you aren't joking around and bombarding me with your silly cat puns… you seem to have a talent for knowing the right thing to say," I coughed out a small chuckle. "I wish I knew how to do that too."

"I'm just trying to tell you the truth," his torso shook in a half sob.

"The truth…" I huffed. "Is what I should have told you.. in the first place."

"You still can," he said in a tight voice, hope now peeking through his words. "You can tell me anything."

My chest swelled with a surge of affection for him. I opened my mouth to speak-, when we were both startled as my miraculous let out its final warning beep.

"At t-this point.. it might be better to show you…" Another wave of exhaustion swept through me so strongly I had to fight to stay conscious. "I j-just want you to know.. that I always felt lucky to have you as my partner and I would never do anything to put that in jeopardy."

I broke into a fit of coughing, clutching at my chest as if it would stop me from falling apart.

"Just a little longer," Chat pulled me closer to him as if he was afraid he was going to drop me. "We're almost there," he assured me.

"I wish.. I had figured this out sooner," I tried again, fighting to keep my voice steady. "And I understand if you don't feel the same way after all that's happened, but I want you.. to know…"

I wasn't sure if my heart was faltering from lack of oxygen or from the clenching grip of fear, but I fought past the sensation either way. Reaching up I cupped my hand around the side of his face so he had to come to a stop.

"I love you," I whispered, holding his gaze.

Chats eyes went wide, then my final beep rang out as the area lit up in a flash of red.

A significant amount of my remaining energy drain from my body with the transformation making me realise just how weak I really was. My vision blurred in and out at an alarming rate so I closed my eyes letting them rest.

Tikki's voice was the first one to call out to me.

"Marinette!" She yell, her tiny voice was more shrill than normal and I could feel her small hand press against my cheek.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Chat, then all was quiet and I could feel his fingers shaking beneath me.

"Mari..." Chat barely breathed.

My eyes closed as I was too exhausted to look at him, and honestly, I was too afraid of what I would see if I did.

"No," his voice broke and something wet splashed down onto my face making me twitch. "Ma-Marinette no," he sobbed, grasping me in his arms even tighter. "It.. it can't…"

"S-sorry," I whispered to them, letting my head fall back.

"No! No-no-no Marinette!" Chat fell to his knees putting a hand on either side of my face.

I couldn't help but think that his hands felt so nice on my face...

"Don't let her fall asleep!" Tikki yelled to him urgently.

"Don't close your eyes," he commanded me in response to her words. "Look at me! Stay with me!"

My eyes opened into tiny slits but awareness of my outside environment was becoming duller and duller. The only thing really tethering me to reality was the persistent presence of pain, but I'd been dealing with that for so long now, I just didn't want to anymore.

"I need.. to.. sleep," I insisted.

"I-I know, I know you're tired but you can't go to sleep yet," Chat said, his voice wavering. "You have to stay with me Mari."

"I was going to tell you..." I fluttered my eyes up at him, fighting every second to keep them from closing. ".. I was..."

"It's not important right now," Chat hushed me. His face seemed paler than usual.

"Don't try to speak," Tikki sniffled, her voice was thick with emotion.

"I'm sorry," I said again anyway.

His lips trembled and his whole body shook as if he were holding back a sob. "How could you possibly be sorry? You were with me this whole time and I didn't…" His face contorted as an uncontrollable stream of tears rolled down his cheeks as he seemed to finally push him over the edge. "I-, I didn't even know," his voice burst out from the strain of his emotions.

"Chat," I whispered his name comfortingly.

"A-and all those horrible things I said to you," He shook his head in disgust. " I didn't-"

"Chat," I said again trying to raise my hand to him, but I found I could barely lift it off my chest.

He noticed my movement and immediately took my hand in his own, pressing it against the side of his face as he shut his eyes closed. I rubbed my thumb along the side of his cheek wiping away the trail of tears left behind.

Water blurred my vision as well, but I did my best to blink it out of the way and force my lips into a wobbly smile.

"This isn't your fault."

"Like hell it isn't," he sobbed out a defeated breath.

"You didn't find out who I was… because I didn't want you to. N-not taking your help.. was my mistake."

"I still should have known," his head shook in disagreement. "If I was half as good as you are, I would have figured it out. Nothing will change that."

I shook my head at him sadly. "Do you.. remember… the first akuma we ever fought together?" My words came out in short wheezes.

He nodded his head.

"When we went to the stadium and came face to face with stone heart… I didn't know what to do. I just stood there, but you," I couldn't help but grin. "You charged in prepared for anything... From the very beginning you didn't have to try to become a hero, you already were one. You just did what you knew was right."

"I wouldn't have been able to do any of it without you," He sobbed and a new stream of tears gushed down his face."I'll never be as good as you."

"We made.. a great team," my voice sounded muffled to my own ears and my heartbeat pounded so loud it felt like it was echoing through my very core. "Don't ever think you aren't good enough on your own."

I brushed the back of my hand against his cheek, giving him one last smile to try and express all my affection for him, then I let my eyes close and my hand fell back to my chest.

* * *

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Authors note:

Oh darn, the chapter ends here... But wait! There's another chapter? Oh mah gawd!


	22. Revelations (Part II)

Chapter 22 Revelations (part II)

~Chat Noir's P.O.V~

My vision blurred from the tears that obscured my sight, but that didn't stop me from seeing her beautiful smile I so didn't deserve. My heart swelled with the overwhelming force of emotions I felt for her. I wanted desperately to confess my loved her right then and there and beg for her forgiveness, but the soul crushing guilt I felt kept the words trapped deep in my throat.

I was still staring down at her trying to bring my words out into the open, when her eyes closed, and she staged in my arms, her head lolling lifelessly to the side in my embrace.

"Marinette?" I asked, as her hand went limp against my face.

She didn't respond.

"Marinette!?" I called more insistently, shaking her hand as I waited desperately for her to open her eyes. "Look at me!" I yelled. "Please!"

My miraculous beeped in my ear, reminding me at the worst time that I had seconds before I transformed back.

With this in mind I threw myself into action, holding her securely in my arms I speed towards the nearest hospital as fast as my legs would carry me. I dashed madley from rooftop to rooftop taking all the shortcuts I dared attempt until the soft glowing sign of the city hospital finally came into view over the rooftops. I pushed myself to go even faster-, when my boot hit a particularly slippery set of wet tile. My feet were taken of from under me within seconds and I tumbled across the roof without control. As a last resort I managed to grip Marinette to my chest and roll onto my back in one swift motion to take the brunt of the blow where I slid across the roof until finally coming to a rough stop.

When my miraculous let out a final beep and I de-transformed on the roof, still holding Marinette securely in my arms.

"Adrien!?" Plagg called out, hovering down by my face with his arms drooped forward in exhaustion. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I groaned, shoving my elbow out shakily rising to my feet.

Raising my hands, I discovered a small trail of blood followed by several scrapes traveling up my forearm from the impact. It stung and I knew I was going to develop several bruises, but the pain was nothing compared to the fiery determination I felt to continue.

"We have to get her to the hospital," I said ignoring my body's protests to rest. Rubbing my cheek on my shoulder, I discovered a faint trail of blood there as well.

"Adrien..." Plagg set a tiny arm on my shoulder. "It's too late. You're not transformed anymore, we won't make it in time," Plagg said sadly.

"Then don't just stand there, do something!" Tears spilled down my face as I thrust my head to both kwamis. "Can't lucky charm repair all this?"

"People aren't like objects," the red kwami sobbed as Plagg set a tiny arm around her. "You can't just fix them if they break."

"Then what do we do!?" I yelled, feeling myself move towards the brink of hysterics. "There has to be something we can do!"

"Adrien," Plagg whispered again, bowing his head. "We're sorry."

"You can't give up!" I shouted at the both of them. "There has to be something! Anything!"

Tears dripped off the red kwami's face as she turned away from me, and in that moment it was like my world collapsed.

The pain was palpable. I thought I knew what heartbreak was like when my feelings were rejected by Ladybug, but it didn't even come close. Heartbreak was true agony. Like having some invisible piece of yourself ripped away, leaving you in horrible actual pain even though there was physically nothing wrong.

I stared at her lifeless body in my arms, at the hands I'd held several times before and was now holding to keep warm, at the adorably familiar freckles that lightly speckled her cheeks… at the face I'd seen nearly everyday and thought I'd known so well.

Looking at her now it seemed so obvious they were the same person, it astounded me how I could have possibly missed it. The girl of my dreams was with me the entire time and I'd had no idea. None at all.

Tears swelled from my eyes like giant raindrops that flowed furiously down my face stinging my cheeks as they went past.

"Marinette," I choked on a sobbed, I huddled her closer to my body cradling her back and forth like it would keep the agony from tearing me up inside. "I'm so sorry."

Time was lost on me as the seconds felt like hours, but still we didn't move from that spot. I could hear sniffling from the Kwami's behind me but they didn't make any move to leave either.

"I love you too," I managed to choke out past the block in my throat.

Bending down, I pressed my lips to the top of her head as the last of my tears trailed down my face. Pulling back I put a shaky hand on her forehead, brushing the wet hair out of her face.

It was the gasp from our kwami's that made me look up, and when I did my eyes went wide.

A hundred or so pure white butterflies surrounded us, the tiny flutter of wings filled the air and several more had landed on Marinette's body without me noticing. The second they touched her body they let off a soothing yet radiant glow that reminded me of the light from within Ladybugs yo-yo.

"What's happening?" I turned my head to both our kwami's. "What are they doing?"

"They're purified akumas," Plagg answered. "But we've never seen them flock together like this before."

"They're giving her their energy!" Marinette's kwami realised aloud, then swished her head back to me. "Let go of Marinette," she ordered.

"But-"

"Hurry!"

I released Marinette from my grasp and lowered her on the ground. The moment I moved my arms away an even bigger mass of butterflies fluttered down to land on top of her until she was covered head to toe by an array of tiny fluttering white wings.

When all the butterflies had landed and no part of her was visible I started to reached a hand out towards afraid she might disappear if I didn't-, when the cover of butterflies let out a nearly blinding flash of light all at once.

I threw up my arms to shield my eyes until slowly the light began to ebb away and I was able to see again.

The butterflies looked the same as before, only they seemed to have lost the subtle gleam, the soft glow that had surrounded each of them leaving them looking like regular white butterflies.

One by one the butterflies started flying away, until they fluttered off her as a singular entity and dispersed around us through the air, going every which way until they revealed Marinettes body.

I set down by her side and the Kwami's crowded around her too, all of us holding our breath as we examined her… and her chest began to rise, up and down again and again in steady rhythm. Her mouth opened to draw deep strong breaths.

I pressed my head against her chest and jerked up again when I was met with the sound of a steady heartbeat. "S-She's-"

"She's healed!" her kwami yelled joyously, zooming down to her and pressing herself against Marinettes face.

Noticing for first time that my cheek no longer stung, I pressed my hand to the spot I'd scraped and found only smooth skin under my fingers. Lifting up my arms I'd found that the cuts had healed there as well, not even leaving a trace of blood on my clothes.

"But..." I shot my head up again staring between the two of them. "How?"

Her kwami shook her head as happy tears fell from her eyes.

"She just is," Plagg patted my shoulder. "She's okay."

Finally, happy tears burst from my own eyes and I let out a joyous laugh, scooping Marinette in my arms I twirled us around giddily.

"She's okay!" I yelled, not caring who would hear.

Plagg flew around me celebrating just as joyously, whereas the red kwami rested on top of Marinettes head with a wide grin.

* * *

I hurried across the dark streets with an unconscious Marinette still in my arms. There were a few times on our way to the hospital she began to stir and I panicked as I thought about what to do when she did, but then she'd quiet down again, showing no more signs of alertness.

Luckily for us, the streets were mostly empty of people due to the hour and I had no trouble moving quietly along the streets without being noticed doing my best to take side alleys until I reached my destination. I looked both ways across the deserted streets, making sure nobody was watching as I stepped out from the shadows and hurried to the side of the hospital. I snuck up alongside the side of the hospital until I made my way to the entrance- when an ambulance pulled into the front. A few nurses came out the back pulling out an empty gurney which they set in front of the hospital next to a few sets of spare wheelchairs before stepping back inside the vehicle. A few moments later the ambulance had gone, but it was sure to return soon.

"Are you sure you want me to leave her here?" I asked warily, glancing around the corner at the now deserted hospital entrance.

"They'd ask you too many question, and it would only get you both into trouble," the red kwami who had introduced herself as Tikki, told me.

"Plus your father will probably ground you forever if he finds out you snuck out of the house this late," Plagg added.

"I guess… you guys are right." I gripped Marinette's shoulder, before reluctantly setting her down on the gurney. "And.. you'll be here to watch out for her, right?" I tore my eyes away from her to look up at her kwami.

"That's right," Tikki smiled, and I felt slightly more assured.

"Alright then," I agreed, taking a small step back.

The voice of the nurses coming back from around the corner reach our ears and I began backing away faster as their footsteps got closer.

"Umm, one other thing," I gave Tikki an apprehensive look still backing away. "You won't tell her who I-"

"Of course not," she shook her head. "You need to tell her that yourself."

"Y-yeah," I nodded, a smile stretching on my face. "I do."

* * *

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Authors Note:

Hello dear readers!

I hope you all like how things have gone so far in the story and that it had been an enjoyable read despite its errors. (But you know what, it's fan fiction. Even with the grammatical errors and whatnot that I keep finding, this is still good quality for fan fiction.) I'd like to announce that next week will be THE LAST CHAPTER I update for the story. Next week is when it all ends. Therefore, if any of you have questions you'd like me to answer about the story, or perhaps what I intend to do after, ask now and I will try to answer all of them at the end of the chapter in next weeks author note. If you want to private message me the questions that is fine too, but be aware that after this chapter has been up-loaded for what I consider to be a lengthy period of time, I may or may not answer them. No hard feelings, I just want to move on to other things.

Thank you all for reading and I'll see you next week.

~Snowfall


	23. Apologies

Chapter 23: Apologies

~Marinette's P.O.V~

When I woke up in the hospital completely healed, 'relief,' didn't even begin to describe what I felt.

The medical staff asked me several times what had happened, and even though Tikki filled me in on some of the details, I feigned ignorance to keep from having to come up with more lies to tell my parents and the doctors. Thusly, when the doctors were unable to explain my recovery nor come up with no reason for me to stay, I got discharged the very same day.

To my pleasant surprise, Alya and Nino were waiting at my house when I arrived to celebrate my recovery. My father even brought up my favorite cake along with a whole tray of various baked goods for us to eat. We all chatted animatedly, and I was thrilled to be with them every single one of them… but no matter how hard I tried to stay present, my thoughts dragged away to one person in particular, the one person I wanted to see most of all.

It didn't take long for all for everyone to notice how distracted I was. I managed to convince everyone I was just tired and then used this as an excuse to go up to my room early where I immediately transformed into Ladybug and took to the streets to look for my partner.

Everyone who saw me cheered like crazy as I passed by, and it wasn't long before the return of Ladybug made top news headlines all over the city. Chat Noir didn't answer my calls but I figured he would come out eventually.

I went around the city doing my usual deeds for people, waiting for Chat Noir to show himself, but as the day continued and the evening turned into night… he never showed.

When I had no choice but to return home I questioned Tikki further about what had happened between Chat Noir and I to try and determine a reason for his absence, but Tikki's answers remained fairly vague. Whenever I pressed her on it she wouldn't tell me anything beyond, ' _I'm sure he'll be able to explain for himself.'_

When she wasn't forthcoming no matter how hard I reasoned, pleaded and even bribed her, I stopped asking questions. Even without her answers, I got the distinct impression that she was holding something important back from me. This left me to consider all the possible reason he hadn't come to meet me by myself. ' _Maybe he doesn't want to see me?' 'Maybe he doesn't feel the same about me now that he knows I'm Marinette.' 'Maybe he won't forgive me for lying to him…'_ the list went on and on until I eventually developed a throbbing headache.

' _This is how Chat must have felt when I didn't contact him,'_ I realized after setting a hand over my head to stem the throbbing, and my heart sunk. I doubted I would get any sleep that night, but eventually, my mind quieted enough that I was able to drift off.

In the morning my headache was gone and I felt fairly well rested, even though I woke up earlier than I usually did to started school on the same day as everyone else. My parents told me I could stay home for a few days the first week but I insisted I wanted to go, and they knew how much I loathed the idea of staying cooped up in my room, so thankfully they let me. In truth I wasn't only tired of sitting around in my room, but I suspected I would do anything more productive than sit around and mope about all day if I didn't keep myself occupied.

My usual morning routine provided a nice distraction from my thoughts, and I made a point to appreciate every task no matter how mundane. I woke up earlier than I usually did so I could make my own lunch, I kissed both my parents before I went out the door and took my time walking to school just to enjoy the fresh air. Not only was the weather pleasant, but the sound of chirping birds filled the air and a few glorious beams of sunshine broke through the dispersing clouds in a way that emphasized the cities overall magnificence. It was an exceptionally good start to the day… but the peace of the morning let the torrent of thoughts catch up to me once again, leaving a sinking feeling in my chest everytime I thought of Chat Noir.

I put on a happy face by the time I met up with Alya at the entrance and her enthusiasm at seeing me made me feel a bit more like my usual self… until we actually made it into the school.

As soon as I walked in the door, lounging and passing students alike all stopped what they were doing, then rushed to crowd around the two of us and bombard me with their wonder and amazement. Some students even pulled out their cameras to take pictures of me, while other simply got close to openly gawk at my face.

Finding the attention rather uncomfortable, Alya and I hurried through the crowd to the safety of our classroom but the moment I opened the door, the room broke into chaos as well. All my classmates rose from their seats and crowded around so tightly to give me a hug or pat me on the shoulder that Alya and I barely managed to squeeze through to get to our seats-, where everyone simply crowded around us again as soon as we sat down.

"We all saw Chat Noir carry you out of the school! And there was even a whole segment about you on the news a few weeks ago," Mylene chatted, obviously eager to hear my thoughts on the subject.

"I heard you got shot through the window," Alex said loud enough for all to hear, leaning in on my desk eagerly. "Do you remember what it was like?"

"I heard that your heart stopped for approximately three minutes, is this information verifiable?" Max asked in his semi-robotic like tone.

"Yeah, I heard you almost died," Kim added, leaning over my desk as well.

"Umm..." I began to shrink away under the weight of everyone's prying gaze.

It was at this point that I noticed Adrien had entered the classroom. His eyes were glued to my face giving me the same undivided attention as everyone else, but somehow the way he looked at me felt more intense, intimate even. I blushed, feeling an even greater need to escape his line of sight-, when I noted Chloe glowering at me from her desk on the other side of the class. She and Sabrina seemed to be the only ones who weren't crowding around to ask questions.

"Alright everyone, hold up!" Alya held her arm out trying to get people to give us some space. "Why don't we give our class president a break from the scary onslaught of near-death questions."

"I heard you helped Chat Noir!" Rose spoke up next, blinking her big eyes rapidly in excitement. "Is it true? Is it true!?"

"Well," I hesitated. "I still don't really remember what happened so I can't really-"

"Oh give me a break," Chloe interrupted before I could finish my sentence. "Marinette doing something helpful, it's obviously not true," she scoffed, placing her hands on her hips in her usual disapproving manner.

Everyone in the room turned to glower at her, myself included.

"And how exactly would you know?" Alya asked surly. "As I recall, you were the first one out of the building when trouble showed up."

"I didn't have to be there to know," she crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "She so clumsy that if she did do anything helpful, it was probably on accident."

"You're just jealous that Marinette got to help out a superhero," Nino said, nudging me playfully with his arm. "I know I am."

"Puh-lease!" Chloe rolled her eyes. "All she ever does is mess things up, and as I recall, she left the scene in an ambulance so the whole 'hero story' isn't very convincing."

The whole class went silent. I noticed Adrien clenching his jaw in the corner, and Alya was clutching her hand so tightly around her phone her knuckles had turned white. Just as she opened her mouth to retort something back to Chloe that I was sure would have been completely deserved, I set my hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Maybe you're right," I said giving Alya a small nod as thanks, then set my serious gaze onto Chloe. "But unlike you, at least I don't go around trying to make everything worse."

"E-excuse me!?" Chloe sputtered indignantly.

She immediately started listing all the things that made her an outstanding and fashionable attribute to society but it went unnoticed as I stopped paying attention.

"My head hurts, I think I'm gonna go to the clinic for a while," I told Alya, letting Chloe's ranting fade in the distance.

"I wonder why,"Alya muttered sarcastically, throwing Chloe a dirty look.

"I'll go with you," Adrien offered eagerly, and I was surprised to see how close he was standing to my desk.

"Thanks, but I can go alone," I said, already getting out of my seat and slinging my bag over my shoulder.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Alya throw me a look of surprise.

"But-" Adrien began to insist as I slipped through my classmates.

"See you guys later," I waved, giving everyone a small smile though I wasn't really looking at anyone in particular.

I kept my head down as I strolled out of the room, walking past Chloe without even the briefest acknowledgment.

"And another thing!" Chloe yelled after me but her words were cut off as I slammed the door shut behind me.

The second I left the room I increased my pace from a slow walk to a hurried jog. I could feel tears brimming in my eyes and I nearly flung myself down the stairs in my hurry to get out of the public eye. Luckily no one was out in the hallway anymore since they were all in their classes for morning attendance. At least I thought they all were until I heard a pair of footsteps running up behind me.

"Marinette?" Adrien called out.

I wasn't going to turn around but he caught up with me faster than I expected, grabbing ahold of my arm so I had to face him.

A few tears ran down my cheeks and I turned my head away, frantically rubbing at my cheeks in an attempt to make myself presentable.

"Y-yeah?" I asked him trying to keep the emotion from seeping into my voice, brushing away the remaining moisture from my eyes.

"Are you okay?" His eyebrows slanted, full of concern.

"I'll be fine, I just need a moment to get myself together," I patted my cheeks forcing a wobbly smile before I looked at him again. "It's so stupid I know, I should never let Chloe get the better of me."

"With Chloe it's kind of inevitable," he gave me a sorry grin.

"Still, I should know better by now."

"On the bright side, at least you can count on most everything she says to be untrue," he offered.

"Yeah," I laughed mirthlessly. "But we can also count on me to be clumsy so at this point who knows what to believe."

His brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't remember anything that happened with the Akuma at the school so for all I know, Chloe's right." I raised my hands up. "Maybe I was trying to help and all I did was make things worse."

"But you-!" Adrien blurted coming to an immediate halt. "That's..." he tried again but his words still didn't come out in a full sentence. I did get a sense that he was particularly flustered.

"It makes sense if you think about it," I shrugged, adjusting my backpack on my shoulders. "I seem to have a flair for messing things up."

"No you don't," he declared with such assurance in his voice I couldn't help but look up at him.

His green eyes locked on mine just as intensely as they had before earlier in the classroom. Again I couldn't help but look away from the intensity of his gaze.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," I muttered.

My hands were starting to shake as what little reign on my composure I had began to slip away. Maybe I should have listened to my parents and started school later in the week. I was obviously too emotional to handle it right now.

"Marinette," Adrien said drawing my attention back to him. He clutched his hand in a shaky fist at his side like he was nervous, but his eyes never left my face. "There's something I… I need to tell yo-"

"I'm really sorry," I interjected, placing a hand on his shoulder as I brushed past him on my way to the door. "I have to go."

I turned with his mouth still open in mid-sentence and made my way down the rest of the stairs, not bothering to look if he had followed as I pushed open the courtyard doors to the outside.

Most all the clouds in the sky had dispersed by now leaving a clear blue sky, but the brightness of the day had been dimmed by my mood. I walked across the sidewalk at a quicker pace than I had coming to school, taking less time to enjoy my surroundings as I was more focused on getting home. I made it around the corner of the school and had crossed the street that would take me to my family bakery-, when Chat Noir jumped down from the building overhead so fast for a moment all I saw was a black blur.

"Ahh!" I screamed, throwing my fist out as an automatic response.

"Woah there," Chat Noir dodged to the side, missing my fist by mere inches. "Good to see you too," he straightened casually like he hadn't just materialized out of thin air.

My heart was still beating adrenaline through me at a mile a minute.

"C-chat Noir!?" I hissed, once I got a hold of my nerves. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just in the neighborhood and I figured you missed me," he shrugged.

"How thoughtful of you," I pursed my lips together in anger at his overly casual remark. "Of course it would have been nice if you'd felt the need to see me yesterday," I snapped, then wordlessly began to shove past him as well.

"Marinette wait," Chat set his hand on my shoulder before I was out of arm's reach. "I'm sorry I startled you, this isn't the time for me to be joking around," he apologized.

"No," I replied curtly. "It's not."

He winced at the tone of my voice, then he turned his gaze down and to the side. "I wanted to see you yesterday but-"

"But you didn't," I whispered, clasping my hands together trying to keep the hurt off my face. "I understand."

"Marinette I didn't-"

"I don't need any excuses," I raised a hand to stop him. "You have every reason to be angry with me and you have every right not to want to see me after what's happened. I deserve nothing less… and I know I'm not what you expected, so you don't-"

I was cut off when Chat rushed forward throwing his arms around me in a tight embrace. I was so surprised I couldn't find it in me to move, much less speak.

"I've been waiting to do this for two days," he whispered, burying his head further in my shoulder as he gripped me tightly. "I thought I lost you."

"But… I thought..." my mouth hung open as I tried to form my thoughts into proper words. "Aren't you angry with me?"

"Yes," he laughed finally pulling away. "But also no."

"I..." I searched his face for an explanation. "I don't understand."

"There's a lot we should probably talk about," he said offering me his hand. "Shall we?"

I didn't have to think very long before taking it.

"Alright," I agreed. "Let's talk."

* * *

~Ladybug's P.O.V~

Chat Noir seemed intent on carrying me, but I was in no mood to be carried around now that I was perfectly capable of taking myself. I did direct him to take me to a small side alley so I could transform, and then the two of us lept out into the city together.

We made our way to the Eiffel tower where we sat in silence for a couple of minutes, Chat Noir threw a glance at me every now and then, but I myself was too arfraid to look at him, afraid of seeing something on his face that I didn't want to see. There were so many things I wanted to ask him, but I wasn't sure how I should start… so I continued gazing off into the city.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like that," I eventually told him when he didn't make a move to begin the conversation.

"So am I," he nodded in agreement. "But I can't say I can blame you for not telling me after what I said to you."

I was silent for a moment, remembering our argument the last time we were both standing on my balcony. "We both did things we shouldn't have," I dismissed.

"That doesn't make how I treated you any better," he swallowed hard. "What I said to you... I should never have..." his eyes cringed and he looked away from me.

"Why did you react that way?" I asked, trying to keep my voice expressionless.

"Because I was an idiot," he laughed. "And because I was upset that I didn't know how you felt about… about Adrien. That you got hurt because you wanted to protect him and you were going out of your way for him for so long without him even knowing…. I just couldn't help thinking that it was wrong for you to have gotten hurt for him."

"Now you know who I am, you know that I had more than one reason to go in there." I pointed out. "It wasn't just for Adrien."

"Now that I know who you are... It makes it worse than before…" He clenched his fist, and his lip trembled slightly like he was fighting back tears. "Because you were with me the whole time and I didn't even know it."

I snatched my head up just in time to see him shake his head in disgust.

"I hadn't even begun to figure it out," he scoffed. "I thought you'd left me to deal with this all on my own, but you were still doing everything you could to help. You were injured and putting yourself at risk to be there for me and the next thing I knew…" Tears started coming to his eyes. "You were gasping for breath in my arms… and I thought I might never get the chance to see you again having known the truth." The tears spilled down his face in startling amounts and he moved quickly to wipe them away. "But how could you let me put you in that kind of situation? If I'd known everything would have been different."

"I didn't know what to do," I turned my head down. "We weren't supposed to share our identities with anyone and… I couldn't trust how you were going to react."

"No," he shook his head. "You didn't trust me to love you for who you are."

"You weren't looking for anyone to replace Ladybug," I scoffed. "I knew how I'd compare to her."

"Ladybug was the only side of you I got to know," he disagreed. "It wasn't fair for you to decide whether or not I'd love the rest."

My head snapped up and I felt a rush of both fear and excitement grip my heart. "And.. did you?" I paused, swallowing hard. "Did you-"

"No matter how I meet you," he brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, tracing his fingers along my jaw. "I can't help loving you."

My heart pounded in my throat and I felt my cheeks flush with warmth as a beaming smile lit up my face. I was just about to reach for his hand-, before he moved it to grab something behind his back.

"I want you to know what a complete idiot I was for not having seen the truth sooner and I-, I want to thank you," he took a rather large gulp. "Thank you for being there for me Marinette, even when I didn't know it."

After he finished speaking, he pulled a shaky hand from behind his back revealing a sky blue scarf I'd recognize anywhere... because it was the one I'd made myself.

My eyes widened and I ever so slowly looked up from the blue scarf in his hands… into his familiar apple green eyes.

"...Adrien?" I breathed.

Before I'd manage processed the flow of information, a bright green flash of light shot out from him momentarily blinding me as his transformation wore off. His kwami floated out and to the side but I barely gave him a second glance as I was too focused on the boy standing in front of me…. My partner.

"Hey Marinette," Adrien gave me a wide grin.

The shock that swept through me was so intense I didn't know when I'd recover enough to speak. I kept my eyes locked on him but unable to find my voice to respond, I simply gaped at him.

"I uhh.." Adrien rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I got in trouble with my father yesterday and didn't get a chance alone to-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence before I rushed forward, throwing my arms around his neck and pressing my lips against his.

"Mmf!" He mumbled, staggering back under my weight.

It took barely any time before he gained his balance then wrapped his arms around my waist holding me closer to him as he kissed me back just as fiercely.

We held onto each other tightly like we were afraid of what would happen if we let go. His embrace was warm and affectionate and I didn't want to be anywhere else in the world than right there, with him. Only when I ran out of breath did I pulled away from him, in which we gazed at each other with goofy grins on both of our faces.

"I love you," I told him once I'd caught my breath.

"I love you more," he bragged, nuzzling my nose.

I punched his chest playfully and laughed, feeling much like I might burst into tears of joy. The expression on his face suggested he felt the same way.

"Marinette, promise me something will you?"

"What is it Adrien?" I asked, saying his name sent a slight thrill through my body.

"Promise me we won't keep secrets from each other anymore."

I straightened my back, smoothing out my features. "I promise," I nodded to him seriously.

"Thank you," he smiled in relief. "And I don't know if you remember me telling you this before but.." his cheeks were flushed a light shade of red. "I sort of.. promised I'd take you to the movies a few weeks ago."

"Oh did you now?" I grinned "Well since you promised, I suppose you have no choice but to take me."

"My point exactly," he laughed. "But just to be a bit more clear this time, I'd like to know if you'd like to go to the movies with me.. as a date."

I brushed a strand of his hair across his face and my heart fluttered. "I can't think of anything I'd like more," I answered.

"Good," he said grinning ear to ear. "Because I still have a lot of important questions I've been meaning to ask you, princess."

I smiled at his use of the nickname he used for me as Marinette though I was still transformed as Ladybug."

"Oh?" I asked grabbing his hand as the two of us walked side by side. "What kind of questions kitty?"

"Lots of things," he placed his hand thoughtfully on his chin. "Like… your favorite color."

I cocked a brow. "My favorite color?"

"Well of course," he nodded seriously.

"You want to know more about me and the first thing you ask is about my favorite color?"

"Hey don't judge! You can learn a lot about someone through the colors they like."

"Like what?"

"Maybe we'll find out when you give me an answer," he wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

"It's pink," I said, rolling my eyes playfully. "What about you?"

"Blue, maybe green, it's hard to decide," he shrugged bumping my shoulder. "I'm complicated like that."

I let out a loud laugh.

"Okay Mr. complicated, it's my turn to ask questions," I bumped his shoulder back, giving him a semi-serious look. "Do you happen to know anything about who paid for my hospital bills?"

His joking expression switched to a look of genuine confusion. "Your hospital bills?" He asked.

"So you didn't?" I said in mild surprise.

"No," he shook his head. "I had nothing to do with that. Though I honestly wish I had now that you mention it."

"Darn," I muttered under my breath. "I thought I'd figured it out."

"Wait," Adrien blinked. "If you don't know who paid your medical bills then who…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence before a brilliant white butterfly fluttered between us. It lingered in the air for just a moment longer before fluttering away.

The two of us starred after it in silence.


	24. Epilogue & Authors note

Epilogue

~Dr. Sanguines P.O.V~

"I'm sorry for the wait," I apologized as I stepped inside my office, closing the door behind me. "It seems I've become a person of interest in the medical community since my return. I wasn't expecting to receive so much business at this hour."

"Think nothing of it, I'm sure a man a bright as yourself has a hard time finding a moment to spare. Forgive me for taking up your valuable on such short notice." The man said, not bothering to look away from my office window as I entered.

"Not at all," I shrugged off my coat onto the hanger. "Here to ask more questions?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I wish to know a little more about Miss Dupain-Cheng's recovery. I was informed she was no longer taking treatments."

"You heard right, "I confirmed. "By the time I joined the medical team to care for her, she no longer needed anything from us. Somehow, it seems she made a remarkable recovery on her own. I was ready to offer her whatever financial support was required but thanks to your funding, I doubted she would have needed it," I inclined my head in his general direction. "You should know her parents are eager to meet you if you should you decide to let them know your identity Mr. Agrest."

"Their gratitude is not necessary," Gabriel Agreste dismissed, finally turning around to face me while placing his hands against his back in a serious stance. "It's over and done, we can all move onto more pressing matters."

"Which brings us to the real reason you've stopped by I presume?"

"It has," he gave another nod. "I have more questions about the night you were... liberated, by Ladybug and Chat Noir. That was the same night Miss Dupain-Cheng was dropped off at the hospital was it not? Around the same area Ladybug and Chat Noir had been spotted in earlier?"

"I can't say I remember the exact location..." I rested a hand on my chin whilst sifting through events I could hardly recall. "But yes, I believe you're correct. Are you asking for any particular reason?"

"Simply to clarify the situation," he answered. "It was interesting, that you were the one to find her after she was dropped off in front of the hospital."

"Yes, I suppose it was," I chuckled, setting myself down in my desk chair. "Funny how things work out for the best sometimes."

"Funny," he agreed in a voice that suggested he didn't find it funny at all.

He walked away from the window and retreated back to the table to take the seat across from me, maintaining the same level of professionalism all the while. I could tell this was a very serious individual.

"So tell me," he began, giving me a sense of undivided attention. "What else do you remember from that night?"

 **~ The End** ~

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Final Authors Note:

Hello my dear readers!

Firstly, I'd like to say that I'm a firm believer in happy endings, and I like to end stories with the possiblility of continuing on to somthing else, but I do not intend to write anymore for this fan fiction. If I were to continue the story, it would be about Hawkmoth trying to piece together the identities of Ladybug and Chat Noir, but ya know, feel free to decide what you think would happen on your own.

I know there are quite a few of you who have recently stumbled on this story- and binge read the whole thing in just a couple of hours (which I find flattering), but those of you who have been following from the start know very well that it took two whole years for me to get this down on paper and upload for you to enjoy. Two years I hadn't accounted for, as when I first started this story I thought it was going to take me three months max to complete so….. HA! HA! HA! Ahhhh… Sweet foolish younger me. Hehe.

Anyway, I'd genuinely like to thank those who stayed with me through that long writing process, which brings me to the part where I answer some of your questions to the best of my ability!

 **Q#1: "Is this really your first story?"**

 **A:** Yes, this is really my first story. As in ever.

I can't quite remember what made me think of the idea, but I know that I was frustrated that the official Miraculous show was taking so long to come out, and I was equally frustrated that I couldn't seem to find the kind of fanfiction I wanted to read. Every time I'd get close to a story I liked, it didn't quite pan out how I wanted by the end so I just thought, 'screw it, I'll make my own.' then I sat my butt down and wrote what I wanted to read. I started writing somewhere in the middle of the plot and I didn't actually intend to complete it, but the more I started writing the more I realized I liked writing, and I just really wanted to keep going. Eventually, I had such a clear idea in my head I desperately wanted someway to share it with someone else, so I decided to write the whole thing from start to finish and uploaded it to fanfiction for others to read.

( **Fun fact;** Originally I wanted to make this a comic, but I'm such a huge perfectionist I didn't feel my level of art could properly display the things I wanted to express within the story. Now that my art abilities have improved I'm not quite sure if I want to make this into a comic anymore, haha. But hey! I'm still considering the possibility).

 **Q#2: Are you a science major?**

 **A:** lol, no.

All the sciency/ medical information I put in this story were added because I wanted to bring a bit of realism to the events, which in turn gave me a more interesting story to write. As a bonus, I've become a supercool lightning expert so woohoo! That's a interesting conversation starter.

 **Q#3: Did the butterflies heal Marinette on their own? Or were they fulfilling Hawkmoths inner desire to not get anyone hurt/killed?**

 **A:** The butterflies came and healed Marinette and Adrien at the end as a kind of 'thank you' gesture for everything the two of them have done to help them, but it is also true that Hawkmoth had an inner desire for no one to get hurt.

 **Q#4: How did the butterflies heal Marinette? I kind of have a theory in regards to that one and that is that cleansing Akumas and lucky charm are the same magic but different variations of it. Whereas lucky charm is pure concentrated creation magic melded with healing magic, cleansing Akumas uses healing magic while leaving a little bit of creation magic in the previously akumatized butterfly. This is why the butterflies were able to heal Mari as their large mass of healing magic gathered together was enough to heal her and act as a weaker lucky charm to those in the vicinity.**

 **A:** Whoever you are, you answered your own question. This pretty perfectly sums up the idea I had for why the butterflies were able to heal Marinette as well as Adrien. Good job on figuring that out. ;P

 **Q#5: Will you be writing any other fanfics on this account?**

 **A:** As much as I've enjoyed writing this story, I'm fairly positive this will be the last-, and only fanfiction I ever write. The reason I stuck to this story so diligently is because I thought it would be good practice for when I started writing my own personal novel. I don't think my writing is close to perfect yet, but I certainly feel like I have more of an idea of what to do now than I did two years ago and I want to put this level of effort into my own sTorres and characters from now on.

 **Q#6: What (in your opinion) was the hardest thing about writing this story?**

A: The hardest part was not knowing how to write my ideas out, and not having anyone who was able to really help me with the process. I didn't tell my family what I was writing because none of them like miraculous Ladybug and I knew I wasn't gonna get good feedback from them (not because they were mean, but because they simply weren't my targeted audience), and my friends either didn't like miraculous Ladybug, or they didn't have the patience to read my story so... I almost didn't finish what I was doing because I didn't feel like anyone really showed interest, which I imagine is hard for anyone who puts hard work into anything; but this also helped me decide that I wanted to write for myself that I wanted to continue to better my writing skills no matter who liked my story, because I liked my story, and I liked writing, and in the end this helped me learn how to make decision on my own.

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Lastly, to all of you who have followed, favorited, or left a comment for me to read, thank you for making my first writing experience a pleasant one. I was certain I was going to get a few inevitable haters when I uploaded, but the comments have remained consistently helpful, positive, and supportive so- pheww, I really feel like I've dodged a bullet there.

I'm so thrilled I've finished writing this story (because there were moments I didn't think I would), and I'm even more thrilled that so many people enjoyed to read it! Not only that, but so many of you have gone out of your way to leave incredibly thoughtful comments for me to read, which made me feel like the whole process was worthwhile. I will remember all your encouraging words and messages fondly in years to come and as always, thank you all for reading.

~Snowfall


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